Masquerade
by CoffeeBiscotti
Summary: Elizabeth works at Darcy Enterprises, a multi million dollar company with strong charitable ties. When she accidently falls into bed with her boss at the annual fundraiser, she's forced to re-evaluate her life and see things, and people in a new light.
1. Prolouge

**PROLOGUE**

Lizzie woke feeling elated in a warm and comfortable bed, last night had been amazing and she couldn't help but smile into her pillow as she remembered it. After a hectic night at the fundraiser just seeing him had lifted her spirits, and after a few glasses of expensive French wine, her inhibitions were slightly lowered. Not that she had any regrets. She'd flung herself into his arms when she saw him, and was quickly encircled in his strong arms, she wasted no time in kissing him, not even giving him a chance to speak.

She had only been dating George Wickham for a few weeks, and while they'd kissed a few times they'd never gotten much further, until last night. Elizabeth rolled over in the bed and found his warm body. He wrapped his arms around her sleepily and she snuggled closer.  
>"Mmm, good morning Lizzie" he murmured.<br>She froze. Suddenly stiff in his arms, cautiously she lifted her head and looked up at him, and wished that she hadn't. She jumped out of bed and screamed.  
>"DARCY?"<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Lizzie?"

A knock on her office door brought her attention away from the list in her hand.

"What's up Charlie?" she asked as her boss stepped inside.

"Just wanted to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow night," Charles Bingley replied.

"It's all in order Charlie," she smirked "Just doing my final check of the guest list, but you know that, so why don't you ask me what you really wanted to ask?"

He kicked his toe against her desk smugly.

"Are you to bring your sister?" he asked.

"Which sister?" she teased.

"Lizzie!" he whined, giving her his sad puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, I am bringing Jane," she smiled "Now go away and let me work, you sook," she said, tossing a pencil at him. He ducked out of the way and took shelter behind the doorframe.

"I'll see you tomorrow Lizzie," he smiled, then added "I'm leaving early today to pick up Darcy," he wore a smirk that made Elizabeth groan. Elizabeth knew that hating her boss was in no way beneficial to her career, but she couldn't help but be infuriated by William Darcy. She had been the three years she'd worked for him, and doubted it would ever change.

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><p>"Jane, I'm home!" she hollered as she entered their apartment that evening, kicking off her shoes and dumping the night's take out on the kitchen counter. Seconds later Jane emerged from the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, towelling her shower wet hair.<p>

"Hello Lizzie," she smiled, giving her a sisterly kiss on the cheek "How was your day?"

"Long and tiresome, yet somehow tomorrow will be worse," at Jane's questioning look she groaned and offered only one word of explanation "Darcy."

Jane simply rolled her eyes.

"Lizzie, you know you ought to try a little harder to get along with your boss," she admonished, reaching into the top cupboard for some plates. This time it was Lizzie who rolled her eyes.

"Enough about Mr. Darcy!" she cried "Let's talk about my other boss," she smirked as Jane blushed. "You know, the one you have wrapped around your little finger, who begging me every day to bring you to the fundraiser tomorrow night."

"I'm already going Lizzie," she muttered.

"Thank goodness for that!" Elizabeth laughed making her way to the fridge to get a bottle of wine, "Just don't go breaking his heart Jane. I need Bingley around for job security, we all know without him there and happy, Darcy has no reason to keep me around!" she giggled, popping the cork from the bottle.

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><p>There was a loud buzzing noise scraping against her consciousness, pulling her from her deep slumber. She and Jane hadn't poured themselves into bed until the early hours of the morning, and that was after they'd poured themselves a few large glasses or wine. Through sleepy eyes she saw that her alarm clock read a little after eight in the morning. Reaching out to the bedside table she grasped her phone in her hand and squinted at the caller I.D.<p>

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" she groaned, but hit the answer button anyway.

"Good morning Miss Bennett," he greeted, before she even had a chance to say hello.

"Mr. Darcy," she muttered "To what to I own the pleasure?"

"I didn't wake you I hope," he said, sounding as snide as ever.

"Of course not!" She suppressed a yawn, "I've been up for hours." _Lie._

"Good, then you won't mind coming out to Netherfield this morning to finalise the details for tonight."

"I... what?" she sputtered, she heard him laugh and wanted to slap him, she could just imagine the smug look on his face.

"I'll see you in an hour." He replied, it wasn't a question, and then the line went dead. She rolled over and screamed into her pillow.

Fifteen minutes later, looking like death warmed over after so little sleep and so much wine, and wanting in no way to have to face her _very_wealthy and _very_irritable boss Lizzie shook Jane awake.

"Janiiieee," she cooed. Jane rolled over and pushed her away. "Jane, I have to go."

"Go where?" Jane murmured.

"The almighty God has summoned," She sighed "I'll call you when I'm done and we can still meet for manicures, go back to sleep."

When she finally drove up the long driveway that led to Netherfield house she was already twenty minutes late. Darcy Enterprises had purchased the property a few years ago to save it from being knocked down, since then it had been the location for the company's annual charity fundraiser. It was a beautiful, large country house with a huge ballroom perfect for events like these. Elizabeth loved this house, she loved having to come out for work retreats and parties just to be surrounded by its history and charm. However she didn't love having to come out early on Saturday mornings (slightly hung over) because her nitpicky employer didn't trust her to do her job properly. She was disappointed to see that Darcy was waiting for her at the front doors.

"Good morning Elizabeth," he greeted her as she trudged up the steps.

"Darcy," she replied tersely.

"You look a little under the weather," he said, she just rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks. What do you want Darcy?" she asked, pushing past him to enter the house.

"We need to finalise the details for tonight" he said simply, as if it were obvious.

"The details are finalised Darcy," she sighed

"Yes, but I'd like for you to take me through it all," he said.

"Darcy…" she started to protest.

"Are you not the Head of Donor Development and Chief Planner of Executive Events?" he queried.

She sighed.

"Yes."

"Then don't you agree that it is a part of your job to inform me of all the goings on of the biggest event of the year?" he asked.

"Yes."

"And don't you think, as Head of Donor Development that you should inform me of the developments of the donors involved tonight?"

"Fine!" she cried, exasperated "Can we please do this, and quickly, I have a lot to do this afternoon if you expect me to be working tonight." She wanted to slap the smirk her wore off of his face, but instead she strode off in the direction of the kitchens. The sooner this was done and he was satisfied, the sooner she could escape his cocky pigheaded company and get on with her day.


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay! Christmas/New Years always a hectic time of year! And I had to re-write this chapter because the first time I was in a foul mood and it came out, all wrong. Anyway, enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think! =D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

The clock on the kitchen wall ticked past twelve o'clock and Lizzie sighed loudly.

"Are we about done here, Darcy?" she said "I have a lot to do this afternoon if you expect me to work tonight."

Her mobile rang then, vibrating across the counter where she'd put it down earlier. As it was closer to him, Darcy reached out to pass it to her, glancing at the screen his face dropped at the name on the caller I.D.

"Thanks" she murmured taking the phone from him, she felt a tingle in her hand where their fingers brushed together and quickly averted her eyes from his.

"Hey George," she said into the phone.

"Hello, gorgeous," his smooth voice responded. Elizabeth smiled.

Next to her Darcy was gathering his things into a pile and getting up from his chair, as he passed her he leaned in close.

"See you tonight, Lizzie," he almost whispered, she shivered at him breath on her neck.

"Who was that?" George questioned.

"Uh." She faltered, "My boss. Sorry. Anyway, can you meet for lunch? I have a lot to do this afternoon, but I want to see you before tonight. I'm sure I'll be too busy to spend much of it with you. I appreciate you coming though," she rambled.

"Relax Lizzie," he laughed, "I'd love to have lunch. I'll meet you at the little bistro you love?"

"An hour, okay?" she asked.

"See you then," he smirked "Bye beautiful."

The line went dead and she put her phone away, gathering her things. She looked around briefly for Darcy, but could see him anywhere, but noticed that his shiny blue Aston Martin was still parked in the driveway as she drove out, in her much older and much more sensible Volvo.

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><p>Lizzie hurried down the sidewalk towards the cafe where she knew George was waiting, because once again, she was late. Spotting him sitting at the small table against the window she bustled inside, the bell above the door jingling as she entered. She started unbuttoning her coat as she approached the table.<p>

"Sorry I'm late," she apologised, slightly breathless after her mad dash from her car, parked up the block.  
>"Not to worry," he smiled standing to meet her, and kissing her hello.<br>She quickly returned his kiss, his lips were dry and rough against hers.  
>"I wasn't supposed to work today, but Mr. Darcy decided to torture me with fine print," she smirked, but his face seemed to drop.<br>"Darcy?" he questioned  
>"My boss," she replied, "He wanted to know all of the details for the benefit tonight. No biggie," she reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope.<br>"Speaking of which, these _are_ the details for tonight," she said handing it to him. "Thanks so much for coming, I probably won't be able to pay you all that much attention though," she giggled, he was busy opening the envelope and pulling out the ivory white invitation.

_You are cordially invited to Darcy Enterprises annual charity ball._  
><em>To be held at Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire<em>  
><em>on May 14th<em>  
><em>7pm<em>  
><em>Dress Masquerade<em>

"Oh," he said, after reading the invitation.  
>"What's wrong?" she asked,<br>"You work at Darcy Enterprises?" He asked, meekly.

"Yeah" she affirmed "I'm their Head of Donor Development... what's the matter George?" she asked, he was staring at her like she was a circus freak.

"Sorry, it's just, your boss... William Darcy. He and I grew up together, and we're no longer on the best of terms."  
>"You grew up with my boss?" she asked, skeptically.<br>"Yeah, in fact... the company is the reason we're no longer friends... But I shouldn't be telling you this, you work for him..."  
>"He's no friend of mine George. Just my employer," she prompted him. Of course her curiosity was peaked now.<br>"Well... it all started five years ago, after my father died... but it's to do with the fact that thirty percent of Darcy Enterprises was supposed to be mine..."

Lizzie listened to the rest of George's story over lunch with rapt attention, unable to fathom such a cruel situation had it not been for George's sincerity in the way he spoke. As much as she hadn't liked William Darcy before, she was beginning to hate him now.  
>"George... if you don't want to come tonight..." she started to say when he'd finished "Then I'd understand..." He held up a hand to stop her.<br>"No," he said, "You asked me to be there, and I will be. Darcy and I are not friends, but if he wishes to avoid me, then he will have to be the one to leave," she smiled.  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"Absolutely," he smiled "I'll be there."  
>Her phone buzzed with a new text message and she opened it as she drained the last dregs of her coffee. It was from Jane, asking where she was. Lizzie tapped out a reply saying where she was and hit send.<br>"Jane's coming to meet me so we can get ready for tonight," she told George.  
>"I guess this date is over then," he smirked, "I'll go and pay for this," he said and headed to the counter. Lizzie gathered her things while he was gone, and was standing by the table by the time he returned. Jane arrived as he was buttoning his coat.<p>

"Lizzie!" she called from the door, and she and George went to meet her.  
>"Jane," Lizzie greeted her, then introduced her to her date "This is George Wickham, George this is my sister Jane."<br>"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said.  
>"Likewise," she responded with a curious look on her face, Jane glanced across at her sister who wasn't watching them.<br>"Anyway, I must dash. I'll see you both this evening," he said, and then he leaned in and gave Lizzie a kiss, that was probably a little over zealous for the setting, before disappearing out the door and down the street.  
>Jane was staring at Lizzie with eyebrows raised.<br>"What?" Lizzie asked, reaching for the door.  
>"Oh, nothing," Jane replied, following her out "Just wondering why on earth you're dating a man that looks an awful lot like the boss you claim to hate," Lizzie fumbled, nearly slipping on the wet pavement.<br>"Excuse me?" she asked when she'd recovered.  
>"Your new boyfriend... him and Darcy could almost be twins," she said bluntly "how can you not see that?<br>"Umm, maybe because it's completely untrue! They couldn't be any more different!"  
>"Lizzie... either you're blind, or you're being intentionally ignorant. Also, you're adding fuel to my theory that you're secretly in love with Will."<br>"Jane..."  
>"They're the same height, same build, have the same colouring, same hair, same cheek bones! The only real difference is that Darcy has nicer eyes."<br>"You're wrong," was all she said.  
>"Good argument" Jane laughed, "Come on, let's go and get those manicures. You can argue your weak case over the emery boards." She took Lizzie's arm and steered her off towards the salon.<p>

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><p><strong>Until next time =) Please review, it motivates me.<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey hello! I'm so sorry that this update took so long, but I hope you will forgive me because I have a very good reason for being late.**

**I was out of town last week for my big brothers wedding!**

**So while I tried to write while I was away, there wasn't a lot of spare time. But I won't apologise too much for that, because I had a fantastic weekend, and the wedding was beautiful!**

**Before I give you chapter three, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has favourited/alerted and especially reviewed. I have tried to reply to most of the reviews, but I know that some have gotten lost in my email so I wanted to take a minute to say I really, really do appreciate them.**

**Now, Without further ado...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"I'm sorry Lizzie, I just don't believe it!" Jane cried for the third time.

"Why would he lie to me Jane?" her sister asked, swapping her right hand for her left with the woman who was doing her nails.

"I know you don't like Darcy, Liz. But he's not a bad person. What happened between you two was years ago! Don't you think it's time you let go of his rej…"  
>"Oh stop," Lizzie interrupted her, "George wouldn't lie to me. I believe him."<p>

Jane raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say _'are you that naive?_' Lizzie didn't react, just paid her attention back to her manicurist.

After a few moments of silence Jane spoke again.

"Why don't you ask him?" she said, Lizzie furrowed her brow, "Darcy," her sister continued, "If you're so sure of George's honesty, then get verification."

"Do you really think Darcy would admit the truth if I confronted him? Jane, all that would be is a sure fire way to lose my job. Besides, why should I need verification? I trust George."

"Well, I don't," Jane shot back, Lizzie met her gaze with shock and saw only harshness in her eyes.

"Jane..?" she stuttered "You don't think ill of anybody… what…?"

"I don't trust him," she said again, "He feels wrong to me, and I don't think he's right for you. You've known William for a lot longer that George, and I believe that he is a good man. He's Charles' best friend, just because he rejected you once, doesn't make William Darcy a bad person!" with a huff Jane lent back in her chair, and the lady opposite her took her hand back again, cautiously resuming her delicate painting, of the last nail on Jane's hand.

"Jane…" Lizzie started.

"Don't," she cut her off, "Just, be careful Lizzie. I don't want you to get hurt." Then she turned away, effectively ending the conversation and leaving Lizzie to stew in confused guilt.

Back at their flat an hour later Lizzie was packing her things into her car before going back out to Netherfield to get ready for the ball. And fulfill her work obligations prior to the guests arriving. With her duffle bag in the trunk and her dress hanging in its garment bag in the backseat Lizzie went back upstairs to say goodbye to Jane. Who hadn't spoken more than a few words to her since leaving the nail parlour earlier that day. Back inside she found the bathroom door shut and the shower running, and realized there would be no time to apologise to Jane now. So instead grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen and went back to her car.

She arrived at Netherfield to find several more of her co-workers cars parked around the back, next to Darcy's Aston Martin, still sitting in the same spot it had been earlier. At the entrance to the kitchen several white vans from the catering company were parked with their rear doors open, men and women dressed in uniform were unloading trays and crates of food for the party. Lizzie collected her things from the car, and making sure her garment bag wasn't dragging in the dust, made her way into the large country house through what would have once been the servant's entrance. Key staff from Darcy Enterprises had been set up in one of the houses many bedrooms to prepare for the night, and stay after the guests leave. Elizabeth made her way to the room she was assigned, or rather, that she had assigned herself. It was on the second floor and had a huge window, which over looked the lake on the grounds. Historically this was the wife's master suite, and was decorated in cream and soft yellows and greens. The large bed was high off the ground and wore a matching bedspread for the décor. She hung her dress on the door to the closet and removed the garment back so that it could breathe, and placed her duffle on the bed, removed her jacket and left it lying there too before heading back downstairs to prepare for the night.

She found Darcy in the ballroom, directing staff from the table rental company where to place the settings for the dinner. He held her seating chart in his hands and seemed to be managing fine without her, she was deliberating leaving to check on the catering staff when he caught sight of her.

"Oh, there you are Elizabeth, I was wondering when you were going to get here," he said, and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at him. His tone was chiding, and she was biting her tongue to stop from saying something she shouldn't.

"In case you don't remember Mr. Darcy, I was here all morning with you before I left to prepare myself for tonight."

"Yes, and may I say that your manicure looks very lovely," he smiled, she cringed. _Smarmy bastard, _she thought.

"Well, you seem to be doing fine in here, I might just go and check on the kitchens," she forced a smile and spun to leave before he stopped her with a hand on her elbow. Her skin seemed to be electrified where his hand touched, tingling against his fingers.

"No need Elizabeth, Charlie's managing them," he explained, "But, you can help me here, once the table are in, we'll need to set out the place cards," he said, passing her anther copy of the seating chart.

"Right then," she said through gritted teeth, she snatched the paper from him and stomped over to the door, the basket on the floor just inside it held the name cards for the tables. Returning to his side she thrust the stack labelled tables 25-50 into his hands and then stomped her way back towards table one.

With the tables and chairs in position William and Elizabeth worked silently as they placed the cards in their correct places. The only other movement in the room was the two girls from the florist who were bringing in the centrepieces and placing them on the tables. As they worked Elizabeth couldn't help but watch him from the corner of her eye. Jane's words coming to her mind as she worked.

_Honestly, I don't see how Jane sees and resemblance between Darcy and George. They're so different._

Feeling her eyes on him, William glanced up and caught her staring. She quickly averted her gaze back to the cards for table ten, and missed his cheeky grin.

"Something wrong, Elizabeth?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

"No! Of course not," she replied, not looking at him. She moved on to table eleven. They finished the job in silence, and then the caterers came to put out plates and cutlery.

"Not long to go now," Darcy said checking his watch "Everything's set, so why don't you go up and get ready? I think everyone else is already," he said.

"Right," she said glancing down at his jeans and t-shirt attire, "I hope you're planning on changing too before the guests arrive," she said, she wasn't trying to be funny, but he laughed.

"But of course!" he said, his laughter still subsiding "I'm just going to check on the valet's first," then he strode right out the front doors. Feeling irritated, she trudged up the stairs towards her room for the night, and went about getting ready for the evening. The fundraiser ball was their biggest event of the year, but suddenly Lizzie was anxious for the night to be over.

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><p><strong>Well, it's finally time! Next up <em>the big event!<em> I'll get it out as soon as I can, so hopefully I won't keep you waiting too long, and that it will be worth the wait =P**


	5. Chapter 4

**Please don't hate me! But its not quite time for the ball yet! I know, I know I said it would be up next, but I wanted to get this out first. A little insight into our leading man! (Forgive me now?) It's a little short, even compared to the other chapters, but I'll make it up to you with the next chapter, which should be ready very soon! And if you motivate me, maybe I could even have it ready for tomorrow *wink wink*.**

**But for now, let's spend some time with Darcy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

He wasn't trying to be cruel, or undermine her, calling her out to Netherfeild so early on her day off. In fact, there was no real justification for asking her to come, except that he hadn't seen her in a week. Elizabeth Bennett was a conundrum to Darcy, alluring yet standoffish, passionate yet forlorn, and pretty… actually, gorgeous, no buts about it. It had been a long time since he'd formed that opinion.

Three years he'd known her, three years since he'd approved her application and let Bingley hire her, even though she was so young and frankly under qualified for such a position. And that had been a judgement made solely on her personnel photograph. But it had been one of the smartest decisions he'd ever made. Elizabeth had risen to the occasion, and filled her job exponentially well, despite being under qualified. Not that he could call her that anymore.

For the entire week previous Darcy had been stuck in the Derbyshire offices leaving some vital jobs behind for Elizabeth to carry out without him, and it wasn't that he didn't trust her, he knew with absolute certainty that the work would be done to impeccable standards. His excuse to her was lame, and they both knew it. What she didn't know, was that he couldn't stand being away from her another day, which was how they had ended up sitting beside each other at the kitchen bench not moments ago. When her phone rang, his world fell. Not that he was prying, but passing the device across to her, he couldn't help but glance at the screen… see the name and that face… the picture of him with his arms around her made him shudder, and he panicked. She answered the call, he fled.

From a window upstairs now he watched her cross the back driveway and unlock her car, watched her glance across to his Aston then glance back at the house. Her eyes skimmed the façade, but didn't spot him. He watched her drive away, standing in place, his eyes on the spot where her car finally disappeared long after the dust of the limestone driveway settled again. And he sighed… yes, Elizabeth Bennett was a conundrum, but not nearly as much as he was to himself. Three years of being in his life, and Darcy still couldn't decide how to act around her, but he knew that his kneejerk urges to sweep her into his arms and kiss her senseless, lest it even just be to knock her of kilter long enough to see him clearly, was not the way to win her heart… or at the very least her friendship.

"DARCE?" a voice hollered.

Charles was here, and obviously too lazy to come looking for him. Pulling his eyes away from the end of the driveway Darcy jogged down the stairs to the foyer where Charles was waiting.

"There you are!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Hey Charlie," Will greeted his friend, a quick handshake and a one armed hug.

"Ready for tonight, then?" Charlie asked, picking up his rolling suitcase to lug it upstairs.

"Just about" Will said, following him, at the top of the stairs Charles stopped.

"Look, Darce, I don't want to be a pain, but I was wondering if you'd mind switching room with me?" Charlie asked, he was blushing and Darcy laughed.

"Let me guess," Will said, "Jane Bennet is staying in the north wing, and you want a chance to bump into her in the hall?"

"In so many words," he agreed.

"No problem Charlie, you know I'm a sucker for that kind of romance," Will teased, punching his friend in the arm "So, where am I reallocated to?" he asked.

"Thanks Darce," Charles smiled, "I was supposed to be in the room at the end of the east wing."

"You owe me one Charlie," he smiled, "Good luck with your romancing!"

Charlie disappeared for the rest of the afternoon while Darcy was finalising everything for the night. By the time Elizabeth got back just about everything was finished except for the place settings. But he'd use anything as an excuse to be alone… or almost alone with her. After Elizabeth went upstairs to get herself ready for the evening and Darcy did his final check. Just as he walked into the foyer Jane arrived.

"Will! Hey!" she greeted, her dazzling smile gracing her face. Jane was pretty, and Darcy could see why Charles liked her so much, and while Darcy was more partial to her sister, he liked Jane very much. Will greeted her with a hug.

"You look wonderful Jane," he said, and she giggled. Her hair was pinned up and her makeup done.

"I'm not even dressed yet Will!" she said with a giggle.

"Well, you're already beautiful. Charles won't be able to keep his hands to himself tonight" he teased. She responded with a head to toe blush.

"Let me show you to your room" he said, offering his arm and taking her overnight bag in his other hand.

"This is you," he said outside her door.

"Thanks Will" she said, she was still blushing, "See you downstairs." Then she ducked into her room. And Will headed towards his to get ready himself.

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><p><strong><strong>Please review! =D<strong>  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**As promised, an update today! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, I think I managed to respond to all of them. Well, here it is. The long awaited ball! I won't keep you waiting any longer!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Lizzie was sitting at the mirror curling her eyelashes in her under garments when there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Lizzie, it's just me," Jane's voice called out.

"Come in, Jane!" Lizzie called back, switching the curler to the other eye.

The door opened just enough for Jane to slip through with her garment bag before clicking shut again. Jane was almost ready apart from her dress, her makeup impeccable and her hair curled up on top of her head in a soft golden pile. Even without the dress, but wearing her pink sweats, she was beautiful.

"It's starting to rain again," Jane said hanging her garment bag beside Lizzie's on the wardrobe. "The road's are already getting a bit treacherous, I hope all your guests arrive safely," she said, her concern for the strangers she hadn't met evident in her voice.

"I think most of them are staying in the town anyway, so they don't have far to come. And you just know they all have town cars and drivers. I wouldn't worry Janie," Elizabeth said, passing her sister the tube of mascara from her makeup bag.

Jane uncapped it and leaned forward to apply it to Lizzie's lush lashes.

"I saw Mr. Darcy as I came up," Jane said, Lizzie scowled and Jane pulled the brush away so she wouldn't smudge, but she continued talking. Knowing and not caring that it was getting Elizabeth riled up. "He's looking very handsome tonight... mind you, he's always very handsome," she giggled.

"Aren't you supposed to be here as Charlie's date? Why are you checking out other men?" Lizzie teased.

"Oh hush, Lizzie," Jane scolded, "I'm just saying is all, stop being so resistant."

"He's my boss Jane, even if I didn't want to, I have to be resistant. Besides, I have a date for tonight," Jane scoffed at that.

"Please Jane, let's not argue about George. Not tonight," Lizzie pleaded.

"I won't, but just, be careful Lizzie. I know you trust him, but I'm not sure about him, so for my sake, just be careful. I'd hate for you to get hurt."

She could do nothing but agree with Jane. And it scared her a little bit. Elizabeth prided herself on her judgment of character, but Jane was so sincere about her concerns. Jane, who didn't and couldn't think poorly of any one! Lizzie honestly couldn't remember Jane ever reacting like this to anyone before. She saw the good in everybody, hell, she even managed to see good in William Darcy... Lizzie closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. She could feel it again... that niggling feeling in the back of her mind... that seed of doubt. She couldn't dwell on it any longer though, because Jane was pulling her attention.

"Help me with my dress, Lizzie. It's nearly time to start," she said, suddenly she was standing by the wardrobe.

Lizzie helped Jane into her dress, and then slipped into her own, letting Jane handle the stiff zip on the back. Then she went to her duffel bag and pulled out a box.

"The final touch" Lizzie said with a smile, she pulled out two ornate masks. Jane's was pale blue and silver, to match her dress and bring out the jewel colour of her eyes. Both were the type that tied around the head. So after affixing Jane's mask, Lizzie sat before the mirror for Jane to fix hers.

Lizzie loved her mask, it was one of her favorite possessions, a memento that she had picked up in New Orleans back when she'd gone travelling in college. It was red, black and silver, with headdress like feathers on one side, this mask had been her inspiration for this year's benefit theme. So once it was on, resting on her nose and tied firmly around her head, the dark ribbon holding it secure disappearing into her dark locks, she took a moment to admire it, then she gathered herself and linking her arm with Jane's they headed downstairs.

From then on out, Lizzie's night was a whirlwind. She was practically run off her feet with all the things she had to do, and that wasn't such a great feeling when you were wearing a few extra pounds in petticoat. But Lizzie endured, because this was her job and she thrived on it. Her night began in the foyer, along with Charles, Jane on his arm, and Charlotte Lucas who was the VP in the Derbyshire office. Darcy was nowhere to be seen, much to Lizzie's annoyance, he of all people should be on the frontline of greeting the guests.

"Charlie!" Lizzie hissed as she let go of Mr. Forsters hand as he moved into the ballroom, "Where the hell is Darcy?"

He could only shrug because a new party had just walked in the door and claimed his attention, so Lizzie had to seethe in silence.

By seven thirty most of the guests had arrived and Lizzie left her post in the foyer and went into the ballroom in search of Darcy, but she couldn't find him amongst the crowd, and quickly her attention was turned to mingling with the guests.

The annual Darcy Enterprises Ball brought together all of the company's bigwigs, major donors, investors and big clients into the one room, the aim was, not only to raise money for charity but to connect clients and donors with each other, extend their business connections and strengthen their existing relationships, so it was important to mingle, and do it before the cocktails kicked in. So for the next hour, Lizzie mingled, all the while looking out for Darcy, but never spotting him. She kept hearing whispers though, and he'd come up in conversation.

When she was talking to Mr. Denny about contributions to the Children's Leukemia Foundation she heard Mary King pass by saying that "Darcy was looking _F.I.N.E _tonight". Her conversation with William Goulding started off, apparently where he and Darcy left off on the subject of next month's investors meeting. Again she checked over both shoulders for Darcy's familiar form, but still she couldn't see him. A waiter passed her by with a tray of champagne and she replaced the empty glass in her hand. She didn't get a chance to hear what was to follow Mrs. Annesley's "Oh, Darcy was just telling me…" because Charles was calling the room's attention from the staged area. Well, at least now she'd find Darcy, it was time for his welcome speech.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" Charlie started.

"Lizzie," a voice whispered in her ear, accompanied by a tap on the shoulder. She turned around to see Charlotte looking frazzled, she'd even dropped the hand that was holding her mask up.

"What's wrong Charlotte?" Lizzie murmured back, Mrs. Annesley who was still standing next to Lizzie was watching with a curious glance.

"There a little emergency in the kitchens," she whispered back "Come quickly." She nodded a goodbye to Mrs. Annesley and quickly followed Charlotte from the ballroom, the doors to the kitchen swung closed behind her just as Charles said, "And here to welcome you all properly is the man himself, William Darcy".

By the time Elizabeth had finished dealing with the crisis in the kitchen, which had actually required her and Charlotte to run around practically the whole house, the guests in the ballroom were already half way through the main course. Three glasses of champagne on her empty stomach was going to her head, so took her main meal in the kitchen alcove with Charlotte rather than causing problems in the ballroom by being seated half way through a meal, and waited for the servers to clear the plates before making their way back. Outside the main doors they ran into, almost literally, Lady Catherine (a title she held through her birthright, and insisted be maintained despite being outdated), although Lizzie refused to call her that, which was one of the reasons the woman seemed to dislike her. Lizzie disliked her because she was a mean old bag who treated her poorly and had no sense of fun. Elizabeth noticed immediately that despite being dressed in her finest regalia, she wore no mask in honor of the theme.

"Miss Bennett!" She screeched Lady Catherine was a screecher, "Have you seen my nephew anywhere?" Lizzie let Charlotte ahead of her before answering her.

"Ms DeBourgh, lovely to see you again," she greeted "No sorry I haven't seen Darcy anywhere," that was something that Lizzie knew irritated her, calling Darcy by his surname alone, instead of his full given name and without a title before it.

"He disappeared before we could finish a conversation earlier and I need to speak with him, please tell him he must come and find me before the night it out!" she barked, then stopped off towards the ladies room, and Lizzie slipped back into the ballroom and took her seat at the main table. She expected to finally see Darcy but found his chair empty, a half drunken glass of red wine where he should have been sat. She saw Lady Catherine return a few moments later and resume her seat beside her daughter, so she knew he hadn't been caught up with her. He didn't return during dessert either, and after those plates had been cleared, the lights were dimmed and the music turned up for the dancing, and he was still nowhere to be seen.

Half an hour later, the servers had cleared all the tables, the band had started playing and most of the guests were on the dance floor or enjoying the abundance of alcohol. Elizabeth had just gotten a fresh glass of wine from the bar when Jane found her, her sister was smiling with glee as she skipped towards her.

"Oh Lizzie, it's a wonderful party!" she exclaimed, giving her a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Lizzie laughed, watching her sister bloom, "Any particular reason that you're so happy?"

"Oh, you know me Lizzie, it's just my nature!" she laughed.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that a certain Mr. Charles Bingley hasn't taken his eyes off you all evening, and hasn't left you alone for more than a few minutes and is following you over here like a lost puppy?" she laughed, Jane turned to look over her shoulder and sure enough Charlie's flaming red hair was striking above his blue mask, which seemed to match Jane's dress perfectly.

"Lizzie! Charlotte told me about the crisis you dealt with out the back, good work, sorry you had to handle it alone."

"No problem Charlie, how's everything been going in here?"

"Swimmingly," he grinned "Although I'm not sure where Will has disappeared to, so there might be a problem we don't yet know about."

"Let's hope not," Lizzie laughed.

"So Lizzie," Jane interceded "Where's George? I thought he was supposed to be here tonight."

Lizzie felt herself frown behind her mask, Jane was right, she hadn't thought that George was yet to show up.

"Oh, I hope he's alright!" she said, quickly glancing around the ballroom as if he would just appear there "He was coming up from London after all, and the roads are pretty slick…"

"I'm sure he's fine Lizzie," Charles consoled her. Jane nodded in agreement. "Can we dance Jane?" he asked, and she let him lead her onto the dance floor.

Lizzie scanned the room again, nervous now that she wasn't dealing with work responsibilities. Gulping down the last of her wine and putting the glass back on the bar she caught sight of a familiar set of broad shoulders and hard chest, clothed in a dapper tuxedo, a red bowtie around the collar, walking purposefully towards her. She recognized his tousled brown hair and strong jaw, and knew what those chiseled check bones would look and feel like behind his mask. She turned fully towards him just as he reached her side, and his lips curled in a smile of greeting, she noticed a dimple on his left cheek that she hadn't seen before, it's shadow darkened in the dim light. With no more persuasion than his small smile, and before either of them said a word she stepped into him, raised herself the few inches to meet his height and slanted her mouth across his, drawing him into an open mouthed kiss.

For a moment he was completely still, and then his large hands were on her hips, sliding around her back his arms encircled her, pulling her tightly against him. His lips were soft on hers, and unlike their kiss from earlier, they were undemanding as she pulled him in closer, she darted her tongue out to trace his, he opened up to her. She felt powerful, in control and overwhelmed. It was going on the record, as the best kiss she and George had ever shared.

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><p><strong>Ahhhh goodness! What did we all think? Was it worth the wait. And before you ask, yes, there's a second half to come. Let me know what you thought by hitting that review button! =D<strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**Here's part two! Now kiddies, this is an M chapter, so if you shouldn't be reading it, please don't be reading it! You have been warned! =P Otherwise, enjoy it!**

**I had to proof it myself because if my boyfriend knew I was writing borderline porn I would never hear the end of it, and he's my usual editor! So any mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

His mouth.

His hands.

His long lean body pressed against hers.

He was all consuming in a way Lizzie has never experienced before, not with any man. She felt light headed, but wasn't sure if it was from the wine, or his intoxication, but she didn't care. She felt alive. Quickly though, she realized where she was, and what a bad impression she was making, but not wanting to stop, pulled on his lapels and led him towards the nearest door. They were still kissing and stumbling as they got to the corridor separating the kitchens from the ballroom and she pulled him again, this time towards the narrow staircase behind them.

The kitchens were in the ground floor east wing, and she knew that her room was only just above them, and that was her intended destination. He followed her lead without question, but halfway up the small stair case Lizzie found herself suddenly pressed against the wall, his body pushing against her. His lips trailed fire from her lips, across her jaw and down her neck as she gasped for air, she had to bite back a moan and he grazed her pulse point with his teeth. Her eyes fluttered closed and his tongue swept across the fiery mark he had made and she guided his mouth back to hers without needing to look. She wriggled out from beneath his weight and continued their path up the stairs, breaking onto the second floor landing at the far end, closest to her room and farthest from the main stairs. She dragged him towards the door behind them, and she could tell when he clued into their destination because she was suddenly swept off of her feet and into his arms, his lips still crashing against hers, she could feel how swollen they were, but she didn't even care.

His kisses, his touches, were driving her crazy and at the same time felt like they were keeping her alive. She let herself fall into his control as he maneuvered them through the doorway and into the dark bedroom. The only light came from the moon behind the half closed drapes, and it was almost black inside. But as soon as the door swung shut behind them, she was back on her feet and pulling at his bowtie, his red bowtie, as if he had known the colour of her dress and come to match. But she knew he hadn't, she knew it was a fluke… although some might call it fate.

In the dark room her nimble fingers were quick to shed him of his bowtie, jacket and shirt, all without breaking their kiss, and then those fingers were tracing across his skin, feeling the quiver of his lean muscles beneath her touch. She was almost disappointed that it was so dark, and that she wasn't able to see George's body, because beneath her hands it felt wonderful, and she was sure he would look as delicious as he felt. But with the room so black, all of her other senses were heightened, so this disappointment was quickly overshadowed by lust and desire and his tongue traced her ear lobe. His hands were at the back of her head, pulling the knot from her mask loose. She felt it come away from her head and couldn't help but mutter a warning "Be careful with it!" she said breathily, and she sensed, rather than saw him gently place the mask on the side table at his hand, before his mouth found hers again.

She had never felt so turned on from a kiss, and she trembled as his soft fingers traced up her neck and grasped the side of her face, as if to hold her close to him. She reached up and pulled his mask away as well, not that she could see him any better without it, but she could feel him now. She could feel his hands tracing up and down her back as he reached for the zipper of her dress, and felt him shudder a breath as she dragged her mouth away from his and, just has he had out on the stairs, feathers kissed all the way down to his pulse point, feeling it beating erratically against his skin.

"Elizabeth!" he whispered, his voice ragged and husky with desire.

"Shhh," she chided, then silenced him with another kiss. This was not the time for talking. She was utterly too turned on for anything else, but devouring him, and letting him devour her.

He finally pulled the zipper all the way down and she moved her arms to let the dress fall away, pooling around her feet. She slipped out of her shoes and stepped down. Sinking another few inches from his height, but he immediately bowed to accommodate for it and she couldn't help but appreciate that he was such a responsive lover.

They had moved far enough across the room that his legs were now up against the bed and she gently pushed on his shoulders to encourage him to fall onto it, which he did immediately. She heard his shoes clunk to the floor as he kicked them off and she crawled forward on top of him. She ran her hands up his body, feeling his soft skin, the sprinkling of chest hair and his softly defined muscles. A thought flashed through her mind of Will Darcy, and Jane's voice rang in her head _"They're practically identical"_ she faltered. _No! She mentally chided herself, you will not think about Darcy right now. You're in bed with George, even if they are incredibly similar in physique… wait, was she admitting that they were similar. No!_ But that thought was interrupted as George swiftly hooked his leg around her and used his weight to switch their positions. Now Elizabeth was lying on her back, and he was hovering above her, his warmth and a hint of his weight pressing her into the mattress. She reached up and swept her hands through his hair. It felt shorter than she thought it should, _similar to Darcy's length... _His head bowed and he captured her lips again, and that put death to her thoughts about Darcy and she was engulfed only by her feelings of desire.

She unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants, pushing them down his legs until he kicked them onto the floor, leaving him in only his underwear, which she could tell, as she skimmed her hands back up his body, were cotton boxer briefs. He'd somehow managed to remove her strapless brassiere so she lay almost completely naked beneath him, but it still wasn't enough. She wanted to feel his entire naked body against hers. Keeping to her rule of not talking, she lifted her hips from the bed and pushed her own panties down, kicking them off to join the rest of their clothes on the floor. He groaned at her action, and accepting it as the permission she was granting, quickly stood and removed his own remaining garments before falling back down to the bed with her, reclaiming her mouth.

What followed could only be called the _most_ amazing sex of her life, he was responsive and intuitive and she didn't have to direct him or correct him once. He didn't speak, just like she didn't speak, and they filled the room with only the sounds of their bodies and their moans. Hers were unabashedly wanton, his were guttural and rough, and he brought her to the brink several times before he finally let her come crashing down with him.

Come undone, he dropped on top of her, but gently so as not to crush her, and Lizzie sighed in breathless contentment. She'd never expected that George Wickham would be such a selfless lover, never mind being such a responsive one. Rolling off to lay beside her, he drew up body into his arms, pulling her against him. She already felt herself lulling into sleep. She felt him pulling the blanket across them, and felt as he pressed a kiss to her temple, and then she was out like a light. Drifted into a peaceful sleep in his strong arms and he was not long to follow, happy to fall asleep holding her, having her so close to him was more than he'd ever hoped for.

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><p>She awoke the next morning due to the sunlight that was streaming in through the slit in the curtains, landing unapologetically right across her face. She was still partially wrapped in the strong arms that she'd fallen asleep in, his warm body was close enough to her that she could feel the heat on her skin as she lay spooned in his arms. She closed her eyes again just to savour the moment before it had to end. Because despite how amazing last night has been, and as much as she wanted a repeat performance, the fact was, she and George were still new to each other, and there was bound to be some awkwardness after they'd jumped into bed together for the first time.<p>

After a few more minutes of enjoying the quiet she felt and heard him stirring, he was waking up. Eyes still closed she rolled over with the loose circle of his arms to snuggle closer to him, and he tightened his grip as she nuzzled closer to his neck.

"Mmm," he moaned, as her hand found purchase on his chest, he shifted his head to place a kiss atop hers, before murmuring a good morning, right into her ear.

"Good morning Lizzie," his sleepy voice resonated, and suddenly she was frozen in his embrace. The voice, now that it was not addled with lust and breathlessness, was not what she was expecting. Cautiously, hoping it was her imagination playing tricks on her she lifted her head, opened her eyes and looked up to meet his face. His strong jaw, chiseled cheeks and warm… chocolate coloured eyes… without warning to his sleepy demeanor she shot backwards out of the bed, grasping at the sheet as she went. She was halfway across the room as she screamed his name.

"DARCY?"

She felt sick, she was beyond confused, and he was just staring at her, as if she were the crazy one.

"Lizzie?"

"What the hell is going on?" She cried, gripping the sheet closer to her, as she was painfully aware, naked body.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you naked in my bed?" she cried, as if it were obvious. She looked around quickly and took in her surroundings. Things were slightly off in here, the windows were further apart, and the view was slightly off center, the bed was facing the wrong way.

"This isn't even my room!" she cried now. Darcy opened his mouth to talk, but she cut him off with a loud curse, and he stuttered, shocked because in all the time he'd known her, she'd never cursed before. Then, before he could get his bearings, she ran away. Straight out into the hall in nothing but a sheet!

He quickly made to follow her, stumbling out of the bed and grasping for clothes, any clothes! At first he came up with her dress, then her panties before he finally found his pants, pulling them on to follow her. He grabbed the t-shirt from the love seat and chased out into the hall, straight into the open door of the bedroom next door, but found it empty, the sheet from his bed lying on the floor. He turned on his heel and bolted towards the stairs, whizzing past Charles who was half way down.

"Darcy!" He called after him "What on earth is going on?"

But he didn't answer, just continued his path through the kitchens and out the servant's entrance to the back of the house, just in time to see her car peel around the building and speed away.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


	8. Chapter 7

**So I tried over and over again to upload this last night, but the FF login page was down. So, it's the first thing I'm doing this morning (or this afternoon... I slept in). It's just a bit of a filler chapter, so my apologies that there's no big plot developments, but we are going to get some Lizzie and Jane time, and meet the rest of the Bennett clan!**

**It's been a busy week for me this week, and will be for the next as well. So the updates will be a little slow, for which I am very sorry!**

**Thanks for the astounding responses to the last chapter, you all make my day when I get your reviews!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

_I don't know how this happened._

Her mobile was ringing... again, as she climbed the stairs to her third floor apartment. It had been ringing almost the whole drive back into London from Netherfield, but fearing that it was Will Darcy on the other end of the line, she had stubbornly left the phone shoved into the bottom of her purse.

It stopped ringing as she reached her landing and she was grateful, quickly fishing her house keys out before it rang again. Unlocking the deadbolt she slipped inside, and dumped her bag, and therefore the offending phone on the floor and kicked it into the corner, out of sight out of mind.

In the kitchen the answering machine was blinking with a new message. She hesitated only a moment before pressing play... whether it were Darcy or not, at least it was just a message and she wasn't obliged to hold a conversation with him.

It wasn't Darcy. The message was left yesterday afternoon.

_"Hi, Elizabeth. It's George Wickham. Look, I'm sorry but something's come up and I won't be able to make it tonight. I hope it goes well, and I'll call you next week. Bye."_

"Putz," she muttered, "This never would have happened if you'd been where you were supposed to be!" she jabbed the delete button.

_'Yes, that's right Lizzie. Blame George. You're the one who cheated on him after all'_

She grimaced at her own thoughts. Technically it hadn't been cheating... right?

_What have I done?_

Lizzie dropped onto the sofa, defeated. She'd slept with Will Darcy… She'd slept with her boss! She wasn't sure what was worse, sleeping with a man that you can't stand, or sleeping with the man who controls your career. No… she knew what the worst part was. She'd actually enjoyed it… a lot. She cringed, dropping her head into her hands with a loud groan.

She couldn't think about it anymore, she dragged herself into the bathroom and turned the shower on, and while she waited for it to get hot enough, started picking the bobby pins out of her hair.

She sat under the shower spray until the water ran cold, then wrapped herself in a towel and went to see if Jane was home. Outside of the sanctity of the bathroom, she could hear the landline phone ringing incessantly. Chancing a glance at the caller I.D, seeing the name **'Jane'**, she answered.

"Hey,"

"Lizzie, where the hell have you been?" Jane cried "I've been calling your mobile for hours!"

"You have?" she asked, she'd just assumed it had been Darcy.

"Ugh! Lizzie!" Jane sounded exasperated, "Why on earth did you go back to the city? We're supposed to go to Mum and Dad's for brunch, now you have to drive practically all the way back out here!"

Lizzie groaned, falling onto the couch, after she'd retrieved her phone from her purse in the entryway.

"I forgot," she admitted.

"Lizzie! You never forget anything, what's going on? Ugh you know what, never mind, just get out here! Mum is flipping her lid!"

The line went dead and she threw the cordless down on the coffee table.

Looking down at her mobile she saw that Jane had been calling her, over and over again. But she wasn't the only one, there were three voice mails from Darcy as well. She couldn't listen to them though... not only did she not have the mental capacity right now, but she was late for her mother... and you just weren't late for Mama, at least not without consequences.

Lizzie discovered hers when she finally arrived at her parent's house. After a mad dash to change into actual clothes, and tying her still wet hair in a messy bun she'd flown out the door into her car and still managed to show up half way through lunch. Her punishment… the only open seat was at the end of the table, right next cousin Collin.

"Nice of you to wait for me Mum," Lizzie murmured, as she came out onto the patio and took the empty seat, shifting it as far away from Collin as she could. Lizzie wasn't close to her cousin, none of the sisters were. For all intents and purposes, he was just a normal guy. But Collin was an only child and an Army Brat to boot. He'd been raised by his father's military standards, shifting from country to country every other year and never really making friends, so he'd missed a few rungs on the socialization ladder, hence he more often than not, didn't know how to act and react to conversation, and couldn't pick up on social cues to save his life.

"You know what time I serve Lizzie, you know I don't wait for anyone," her mother replied. Lizzie didn't pick a fight, but mumbled under her breath.

"Yeah, everyone except Lydia…" Lydia had been two hours late for last week's gathering and they'd all had to sit hungry until she finally made it home and brunch became lunch. Lizzie was twenty minutes late and her mother acted like she'd skipped her funeral.

"It's nice to see you again Elizabeth," Collin said, interrupting her seething thoughts. It was probably a good thing too because she was pretty sure she was about to fall back into despair about Darcy.

"You too, Collin," she mumbled, sinking further down into her chair and reaching for the coffee. She didn't pursue any more conversation, and not having anything to go on, Collin fell silent too. After several minutes of listening to Kitty and Lydia argue about what to wear to Maria Lucas' eighteenth birthday party next Saturday, Lizzie felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket. It buzzed once, so it was a text message, not a call. Surreptitiously she drew the phone out and hid it under the tablecloth, pressing the button to open her messages. The message was from Jane. Lizzie looked up across the table where Jane was sitting between their sister Mary and their father, but she was very busy concentrating on her scrambled eggs, so Lizzie opened the message.

'_What the hell is wrong with you?' _it read. Lizzie smirked, well there was no point in beating around the bush. Making sure Collin wasn't paying her any attention she tapped out a reply and hit send. After a moment Jane picked up her phone from the table, it didn't take long to get her a reaction. Half way through a sip of orange juice, she did a spit take, Lizzie didn't blame her, the message has been simple and straight to the point, _'I slept with Darcy' _she'd said. Across the table Jane was still spluttering.

"Oh, Jane! Are you alright dear?" their mother was asking. Their father reached over and thumped her on the back, lurching her forward a little.

"I'm fine," she gasped out, reaching for water "Went down the wrong way, excuse me!" She jumped up and hurried back into the house. Everyone but her father watched her leave, her father was watching Lizzie instead.

"Perhaps you should go and help her Lizzie?" he said with a suspicious grin. He held out something for her and Lizzie realized it was Jane's phone. _Crap._ Blushing furiously she took the phone and rushed off after Jane, wishing that the world would just open up and swallow her right now. She found Jane in their old bedroom, or rather the bathroom attached to it, standing at the sink gulping down a glass of water. Once Jane had recovered from the acidic juice choking she came into the bedroom to find Lizzie sitting on her old bed.

"You aren't being serious?" she accused, "You didn't actually sleep with him, did you?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you'd be thrilled Jane, after all you're the one who things I'm secretly in love with him," Lizzie retorted.

"God, you are serious!" she cried, joining Lizzie on the bed. "What? How?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know," Lizzie mumbled, falling back onto the pillows, "I thought he was George."

"You what?" Jane cried, "Oh god, I _told_ you they were alike!"

"They are n…"

"Deny it now and I may actually kill you!" Jane interrupted, "You accidently slept with Will thinking he was your boyfriend, you're not _allowed _to deny it now."

"Fine!" Lizzie admitted defeat, after all Jane wasn't wrong. She hadn't had _that _much to drink at the ball, they were similar enough, at least in looks, that Lizzie mistook them, "And he's _not _my boyfriend."

"What are you going to do?" Jane asked after allowing Lizzie a moment to wallow. Lizzie responded by rolling into her pillow.

"I don't know," she muffled into the feathers. Jane didn't say anything for a long while, but Lizzie felt her moving on the mattress, and when she lifted her head, Jane was lying beside her, her head propped up on her hand.

"Was it good?" Jane whispered. Lizzie dropped her face back into the pillow with a groan.

"That good huh?" she teased. Lizzie couldn't deny it, she gave a slight nod and Jane squealed, "I knew it, he looks like the kind of guy who'd be fantastic in the sack!" she proceeded with the giggling. Then Lizzie lifted herself up, sat back on her knees and when she was steady, threw a punch at Jane's arm, she yelped.

"That's for letting dad see your phone, doofus!" she said, then jumped off the bed, leaving her sister behind, still laughing, even though Lizzie didn't find any part of this situation even remotely amusing.


	9. Chapter 8

**So, not as many reviews for the last chapter as I had hoped, seems like you guys only want the sexy stuff huh? Sorry to disappoint, but you'll have to wait a while longer for that.**

**Anyway, this is a little short, but I'm posting it early to make up for that. I had to stop writing before it got even more depressing!**

**Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

She'd run away. He couldn't believe she'd actually _ran _from him.

"Lizzie, please. You can't just ignore me. What happened? Please call me," he said to her voicemail for the second time. Before he could dial again he was interrupted by a knock at his door and Charlie walked in.

"Is everything alright Will? What happened to Lizzie?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I don't really know, Charlie." Darcy admitted, sitting on the end of the still unmade bed. Charlie's gaze followed him and finally took in the rest of the room. His eyes widened as he noticed the mussed bed, the clothes strewn over the floor, the familiar dress mixed in with Darcy's suit and Lizzie's ornate mask lying beside his on the end table.

"I think you do know." Charles insisted, "At least now I know why I couldn't find either of you at the end of the night!"

Darcy gave a half hearted smirk, but the cheekiness of the grin didn't reach his eyes, his eyes still looked sombre and guilty.

"Lizzie and I slept together last night" he admitted.

"Darce…"

"It wasn't me alright?" Will said, cutting him off "You don't have to believe it, but it's true. I walked up to her in the ballroom and she just started kissing me, and one thing led to another and we ended up here… in my bed," he fell back onto the mattress, defeated, but sat up again immediately when he smelt Elizabeth's perfume lingering on the sheets.

"That still doesn't explain why she went running out of here this morning," Charles said, coming to sit by his friend.

"I don't know what happened, Charles," he sighed "I woke up and she was right here, in my arms. And she fit so perfectly, it was like she'd been there forever."

Charlie was silent, letting Will tell his story. He was Will's best friend, and knew how he felt about Lizzie. Knew how long he'd struggled with those feelings because of the nature of their relationship and Lizzie's strange animosity towards her boss. Jane insisted she was secretly in love with him, but Charles wasn't so sure, most of the time her attitude boarded on polite hatred, and she argued with him constantly. Realizing that Will was still silent, he turned to his friend and nudged him.

"She shot up out of bed like she had lain down in acid," he mumbled "She seemed to be shocked that I was here. It was as if she didn't know what we'd done, or how she'd ended up in my bed."  
>"But, how?" Charlie asked, "Was she drunk?"<br>"I didn't think so," Darcy muttered "You know I wouldn't have taken advantage of her if I'd thought she was."

Charles nodded, that much was true.

"But maybe she was… god that just makes me feel even worse!"

"You didn't know Darce," Charlie said, hoping to comfort him "And you still don't. I'm sure you'll get your answers. You guys will work it out."

"It's just…" he paused, not sure what to say."It's not the way I wanted it to happen Charlie. You know it's not."

"I know" Charles agreed, "But everything happens for a reason. It'll work itself out in the end"

"So what do I do now?" he asked. It wasn't often that Darcy looked to Charles for advice, usually it was the other way around, and even though they were best friends, the fact that Darcy sought his advice at a time like this not only made Charlie feel honoured, but made him realise just how much turmoil his friend was in.

"Give her some time," he suggested "There's nothing you can do about it now, and you shouldn't confront her about it over the phone. Too much chance she'll hang up on you!" he joked, but Darcy didn't laugh, there was too much truth to that statement to find it funny.

"Look Darce, you know you'll see her again. All is not lost. Give her the rest of today, and you know where she'll be tomorrow. Just, let her have time. She's obviously not ready to talk."

Darcy mumbled a response that sounded like agreement so Charles left him to think it over and went to find Jane.

Alone again Darcy looked down at his phone, which was still clutched in his hand. He knew she wasn't going to answer, but he also knew he couldn't leave things as they were. Even if she didn't listen to it, at least he'd know he had tried. So he hit redial and listened to the phone ring out before clicking over to voicemail and listening to her sweet voice, happy and cheerful, requesting he leave a message after the beep.

Within half an hour of his conversation with Charlie, Will had packed up all of his things, and the things that Lizzie had left behind, and was climbing into his Aston Martin, ready to leave Netherfield behind him today, unable to stand staying there a moment longer. With Lizzie gone, him leaving and Charlie spending the morning with Jane, Will had left Charlotte in charge of the disassembling and cleaning up. She'd been surprised, but happily obliged as he'd muttered his thanks on his way out the door.

He spent the drive back to London in much the same state as he'd been in all morning. By the time he reached home, a three story townhouse in Chelsea, he felt like a wreck, he was tired, his body ached – which he wasn't sure if it was from last night's activities or a physical effect of his mental state. After letting himself in and carefully unpacking Lizzie's things, he placed them on the dresser in his bedroom. Then unceremoniously dumped his own items into the washing basket.

As tired as he was, he couldn't bear the thought of going to sleep. He dreaded the idea of what his dreams would be. Lizzie had already haunted them on and off over the years, and now that he'd experience her rejection. He didn't want to dream it again. Instead he found himself standing in the shower, still thinking about his Elizabeth. Eventually the hot water ran cold and he got out and dressed in some old sweat pants and t-shirt. The house was quiet, too quiet. Usually Will liked the quiet, he liked to be alone, have his own space and not have to share it. But now it felt empty and cold, and lonely.

He couldn't sit in the silence anymore, he couldn't sit in his living room and imagine Lizzie curled up on the sofa reading a book, he couldn't read the paper in the kitchen and imagine her cooking for him, and he couldn't lie in his bedroom and imagine her lying next to him. So he did the only thing he could think of that would distract him. He drove to the office and immersed himself in work. He knew that several of the department heads had already emailed him their reports from last night, so he'd bury himself in those until he was exhausted enough to sleep without dreaming.

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><p><strong>Please review, it motivates me!<strong>

**And thanks to my regular reviewers! You make my day every time I hear for you =)**


	10. Chapter 9

**I tried to upload this last night, while I was waiting for my video project to render (at Uni at 1am!) but FF seemed to be down again! So instead, I'm doing it this morning... so if I'm late for work it's because of my dedication to you! =P**

**Hope you enjoy it, this is a big chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

By five o'clock the following morning, Elizabeth was lying awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling, having been woken for the fourth time that night by her vivid dreams. As the sun rose, throwing shadows across her dimly lit bedroom Lizzie tried to think of _anything_ except for William Darcy, with no avail. He was all encompassing, as was her guilt and self-hatred. She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this situation, that she'd fallen into bed with a man as abhorrent to her, as conniving and manipulative as Darcy!

It hadn't helped her sleep after she'd listened to Darcy's voicemail's last night before bed. The first two had been as she'd expected. Pleading her to call him back, to explain, to talk to him. It was the final message that had thrown her for a loop, that was what stuck in her head like a bad show tune, that message had hit her like and arrow through the heart.

_Elizabeth, this will be my last message. It's clear that you don't want to speak with me right now, but I do hope that you will want to soon. I don't know what happened this morning, I don't know why you ran away. But I do know that I don't regret what happened last night, and I hope that you don't either. Maybe it's not the way it should have happened, but honestly… I can't be disappointed that it did. I'll see you tomorrow Lizzie. Goodbye._

She hadn't told anyone about that message.

By the time Jane woke up at seven, Lizzie was onto her third cup of coffee and was watching the morning shows, or rather staring through the television. She mumbled a good morning to Jane's hello but didn't move from her position, she was still in her pyjamas and had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"You aren't actually planning on skipping work today are you?" Jane asked an hour later as she was leaving for work.

"Thinking about it," Lizzie mumbled back.

"Lizzie." Jane admonished, "You must go to work. You cannot avoid Will forever, and you can't shirk your duties because you made a silly mistake."

"Excuse me?" Lizzie cried, finally moving from the couch "I made a mistake?"

"You seem to think so," Jane countered, raising an eyebrow, she was daring Lizzie to challenge her.

"So, this is all my fault is it? The almighty Darcy is blameless?" Lizzie yelled. Jane almost laughed.

"Of course it's all your fault. You kissed him. You slept with him. Not the other way around. Gosh Lizzie, please don't tell me you actually think you're not to blame?" Jane asked, Lizzie was silent for a moment, fuming as her head and her heart raged an argument within her. After a moment, she sighed, defeated.

"Of course not," she sighed "I know it was all because of me, and no I'm not going to blame him," she admitted, "But it doesn't mean I'm not upset, and it doesn't mean I'm going to be nice or talk to him or see him or anything!" She added.

"You have to see and talk to him Elizabeth. He is your boss, and it's not fair for you to ignore him. Will is a nice man, and he's very fond of you, whether you think so or not, so for heaven's sake, go and get ready for work!" With that, Jane spun on her feet and left the apartment. For a long minute Lizzie stood staring at the door in shock. But then she realised Jane was right, and she was being immature. She knew she was the one who had to fix it. But that didn't mean she had to like it. Lizzie _hated _to be wrong.

When she did finally get to work she was half an hour late, and the morning meeting was already underway, although, that might have been intentional. Lizzie slipped into the conference room through the back door, and instead of pushing through to her regular seat near the head of the table, she remained standing by the wall with the secretaries and assistants. From where she was standing Darcy couldn't see her properly, and she didn't have to look at him. Because now that he was in proximity those memory flashes she'd been having all night in her dreams were suddenly much harder to suppress. While he was going on about the budget projections Lizzie was being swept up by the thought of his lips on her neck and had to keep pinching herself. By the end of the meeting she was sure she would have a bruise. As Darcy wrapped the meeting up Lizzie ducked back out the rear door and high tailed it to her office where her assistant Kate was laying out the files she needed for the client meetings she had today. The first of which, she was glad, was out of the office. She grabbed the files she needed from her desk and collected her handbag.

"Kate," she said as she was rushing out the door "Do me a favour and forward Mr. Darcy's schedule to my blackberry while I'm out."

"Um, okay?" her assistant frowned at this unusual request "I'll do it right now," she added when Lizzie smiled.

"See you after lunch," she called dashing towards the elevators. Unfortunately the path to the elevators went right by the main door to the conference room, so as she dashed past Darcy saw her and stepped out.

"Elizabeth!" He called after her.

She threw a look over her shoulder at him and immediately regretted it, he looked as good as always today, in his crisp grey suit and blue button shirt, but his eyes were sad.

"Sorry Darcy, I've got a meeting. Have to run," she called back, stepping into the waiting lift.

"Lizzie!" He called again, sounding closer.

_Not now, not now_! She thought, he was reaching out to hold the doors. But they closed before he could reach them

"We'll talk later!" Lizzie called as they shut, and she let out a sigh as she descended to safety.

"I know I'm being ridiculous Jane," she said into her mobile two hours later as she took her lunch at her favourite café. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

"Well, if you know, then why do you keep doing it?" Jane asked, she was on her own lunch break when Lizzie had called ten minutes ago and was now trying to talk her sister into talking to her boss.

"You can't run away from him again Lizzie," Jane said, for the fifth time. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"I can't help it," she confessed "It's like every time I think about having that conversation, or realize that he _wants _to have that conversation I just panic. It's so awkward!" she said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Well, it is your fault."

"Mmhm, stop reminding me," she said through a mouthful of tuna.

"Don't take with you mouth full," Jane scolded. "Just talk to him Lizzie, at least apologise. And do it today. You can't keep the poor man suffering."

"Why are you so convinced that he's such a nice guy?" Lizzie asked.

"Why are you so convinced he's not?" Jane countered.

"You know exactly why."

"That was three years ago Lizzie, you need to get over it. You don't even know he was talking about you."

"Yes. I do," she said "Are we honestly having this conversation?"

"No," Jane replied, "We're not, because I have to go. Talk to him Liz, or I'll tell mother what you did."

"You wouldn't!" Lizzie gasped. But she was talking to dial tone. Jane had already hung up.

She checked her blackberry again for her emails and knew that she couldn't justify wasting any more time out of the office. Darcy should have left for his late lunch meeting by now, and he usually left early on Monday's, so even though Jane had sort of gotten through to her about apologizing today, maybe she wouldn't have the opportunity, not that she minded.

Luckily most of her floor was out of the office for the rest of the afternoon, including Darcy, so she shut herself up in her office and began working on the obligatory thank you notes for the donations made at the ball. It was mindless work, and soon Lizzie found herself immersed in the mind numbing routine of it all, she didn't notice it was five o'clock until Kate knocked on the door to say goodbye.

"Do you need anything before I head off?" She asked as Lizzie pulled herself out of her work, she stood up to stretch out her back after leaning over the desk for so long.

"Oh, no thank you Kate," She said, checking her watch "I'll see you tomorrow"

Kate left with a smile and Lizzie followed her path to the elevators through the glass panelling of the office walls, her eyes buggered out as Kate stepped onto the lift, none other than Darcy stepped off with Charlie. He caught her eyes for a fraction of a second and Lizzie panicked, while Darcy turned to say goodbye to Charlie, she hid.

A few moments later, while she was mentally slapping herself for once again, being utterly ridiculous, he knocked lightly on her door. She could see his feet in the doorway and she sighed, albeit silently.

"Elizabeth?" he called, and again she couldn't move "I know you're in here," he said, she didn't reply.

"Elizabeth, you're not seriously hiding under the desk are you?" he was beside the desk in two strides and she groaned.

"Maybe," she said, it sounded like a squeak.

"Honestly!" he sounded fed up, "Would you please come out of there? I'm not going to talk to you whilst you're hiding from me. Which is ridiculous by the way, I'm not going to bite you," he ended his rant and Lizzie reluctantly crawled out from her hiding place. He was looking down at her, and seemed so much taller than usual. She stood quickly and straightened her blouse.

"Why would you feel the need to hide from me anyway?" he asked, crossing back across the room he closed the door, suddenly making the situation feel much worse.

"I panicked," she admitted, then she jumped into her apology "Look, Mr. Darcy, I really am sorry about everything that happened…" she'd practiced that a hundred times in her head and it still sounded pathetic. He stared her down for a long moment before he broke eye contact and paced back to the desk.

"Just, what the hell happened Elizabeth?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"It was a mistake," she said, as if it were that simple. Her head was screaming at her otherwise, or was it her heart? Either way, she'd said it.

"A mistake?" he repeated.

"Yes," She said, "A mistake. It shouldn't have happened."

"Elizabeth. It did happen. You and I, we slept together, and it was… well frankly, it was amazing. But now you're acting as if you didn't want it. So just tell me what happened, were you drunk?"

"No!" She cried without hesitation "No I wasn't drunk."

"Then what? You changed you mind?"

She didn't answer, she looked everywhere in the room but at him.

"Elizabeth," he said her name so softly is almost broke her, it did get her to look up at him for a second. Until she realised the hurt in his eyes and had to look away again.

"Elizabeth, just tell me what the hell is going on," he asked.

"I didn't know it was you!" She cried, exasperated.

"Excuse me?" he asked, the look on his face was utter confusion for a moment.

"I thought that you were someone else," she said, and his eyes darkened a little.

"And who exactly did you think I was?" he asked, she stood still with pursed lips and didn't speak.

"Elizabeth," he sighed "I don't think you can make this situation much worse" Lie. "Would you just tell me?" he asked softly.

"George Wickham," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, but she knew he'd heard her.

"George Wickham, ok?" she cried, actually trying to suppress tears "I thought I was going to bed with George Wickham!"

"Wickham!" Darcy seethed, he was angry now.

"I'm sorry Darcy!" she pleaded, a tear escaped despite her efforts "It was a mistake!"

"Clearly!" he yelled, he was pacing the room, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Can we just forget it?" she asked, furiously wiping away at her traitorous tears.

"No way!" he yelled, he wouldn't stop yelling.

"Why not?" she asked, desperation evident in her shaky voice.

He turned to face her, and his face flashed with a look of concern, as if he only just realised she were crying.

"Because, there is no way in hell I'm walking away this time Lizzie!" he was still shouting, but there wasn't anger in his voice speaking to her. "Especially not for the likes of George Wickham! I won't lose you to a scoundrel like him!" He turned away again quickly before he could get too close.

"This time?" she asked her voice quiet.

"Never mind" he muttered angrily, and then he was gone. The door slammed against the wall as he flung it open and Lizzie was left feeling confused and drained. He was gone before she could follow him, and she was alone again.

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><p><strong>Ahhh, another cliffie? (Sort of) But did I do their confrontation justice? I was actually worried about this chapter, so please, tell me if I succeeded!<strong>


	11. Chapter 10

**I had soooo much trouble with this chapter. You are about to read version three, and I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. Anyway, that is why this update took a little longer than usual. I hope y'all enjoy it.**

**I didn't get a chance to reply to all the reviews for the last chapter, so sorry for that, I was struggling to write this! But I loved them all, and thank you!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Darcy wasn't at the office the next day, nor the day after that and no one seemed to know where he had gone except for Charles, and all Charles would tell her was that he was at Pemberley through till Thursday afternoon.

"I know that you know what happened Charlie," Elizabeth said when she snuck up on him in the break room on Wednesday.

"I'm sorry Lizzie, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about!" he lied.

"Is he avoiding me now?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"It's only fair, isn't it?" he countered, shocking Lizzie with his shortness. "Oh, I'm sorry Lizzie, I know you don't really mean any harm. But Will is my best friend, he has been my whole life. So frankly, I don't blame him for being upset right now. And I don't blame him for not wanting you around George Wickham," Charlie stated.

"My god, he really does tell you everything doesn't he!" she exclaimed, "Wait, what do you know about George?" she asked, realizing what Charlie had said.

"No. That's for you and Will to sort out," he said.

"Seriously?" she asked, slumping in the kitchenette chair in the break room.

"Seriously," Charlie repeated, before vacating the room with his coffee.

"Messages for you Lizzie," Kate said holding out a small stack of yellow message notes as she went back to her office.

"Thanks Kate," she mumbled through her biscuit, taking the messages between two fingers on the same hand that held her coffee. Kate resumed her work as Lizzie shut herself in her office to finish her morning tea.

The messages were mostly unimportant, one from Charlotte in the Derbyshire office, one regarding an outstanding invoice for the caterers and the third from George Wickham, simply asking her to call back.

She dealt with the caterer's message first, calling down to the accounts department for a receipt number on the payment she knew had been made yesterday before passing that on to the catering manager.

Charlotte had simply called for gossip after Darcy had breezed through the office there that morning without warning and without a word to anyone before breezing right out again.

"What can I say Charlotte? I'm not the man's keeper," Lizzie sighed.

"No, but besides Charles, you're the closest person in the office to him. I figured you'd know what had him so upset."

Lizzie gnawed on her lower lip a moment, she knew all right.

"It's not for me to say," she finally answered "But if you see him again, can you let me know?"

On the other end of the line Charlotte sighed loudly and Lizzie could almost picture the eye roll she was sure accompanied it.

"Sure thing Liz, Catch you later."

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><p>That night while Jane was cooking their dinner and Lizzie was sitting on the floor cleaning out their refrigerator she ranted.<p>

"I mean, he _never _goes to Pemberley unless Georgiana is with him! And I know she's still overseas because I spoke to her last week! So, is he avoiding me now or something?" she flicked another dirty paper towel into the bin to emphasise her frustration.

"You can't really blame him if he is Lizzie, you _did _tell him you thought he was somebody else when you slept with him." Jane said, adding more spices to the sauce she was stirring.

"That was an accident!" Lizzie cried, "I never meant to tell him what really happened, but I was so tense and he just kept pushing and I just blurted it out!"

"So he's not allowed to be upset, because you let the truth slip out because you were in a tizzy?" Jane surmised.

"I'm not saying that," Lizzie argued, "I'm just saying, its unfair that he's avoiding me after what he said. What do you think he meant anyway?" she asked.

"You did the same thing to him Lizzie, when you ran away from him all day Monday, not to mention Sunday morning." She paused a moment to figure out how to answer Lizzie's other question. Lizzie waited impatiently while she wiped out the crisper.

"I think you and Will need to have a _proper _talk about everything." She said at last and Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Jane, that doesn't answer my question _at all!_" she exclaimed.

"I know, but I'm not sure how to answer it. I don't know exactly what Will meant, but I think it's worth you talking to him about it, about everything. You two have been butting heads long enough."

"Tell me that I'm secretly in love with him one more time, and I will pelt you with vegetables," Lizzie scathed, holding up a bag of carrots as proof. Jane just smirked.

"Actually, pass me those would you?" She said, "And the corn."

Lizzie poked her tongue out at her sister, but passed her what she wanted before putting the rest of the vegetables back in the crisper drawer.

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><p>Lizzie made excuses all day to be standing in her office instead of sitting at her desk so that she could see through the glass panelling into the open area of the office. Standing behind her desk she could see the elevators, the front reception desk and Darcy's office door. She wasn't sure if she was anxious for him to come back so that she could talk to him, or just wanted to be aware so she could avoid him. Either way, she was on alert. So when, at two o'clock, while she was on yet another conference call, she was the first to see the tall blonde girl step off the elevator and approach the reception desk. She ended her call and exited her office.<p>

"Georgiana?" she exclaimed, approaching her from behind.

"Elizabeth!" She squealed as she turned around. Lizzie accepted her welcoming hug and then stood back to appraise her friend.

"You look great Georgie! But what are you doing here? You're still supposed to be in Italy!"

Georgiana blushed at the compliment, and tucked a long lock of hair behind her ear coyly.

"Well, my semester has been over for two weeks," she admitted "But Will called me on the weekend and he sounded terrible. I felt like I needed to be here."

Lizzie felt her face fall. Georgiana Darcy was the nicest person that she knew, and they'd grown very close in the three years that Lizzie had worked for her brother. She was the only person who knew them both and wasn't trying to force them to like each other, but loved them both completely despite their dislike of each other.

"Oh, Georgie! I'm sorry." Lizzie apologised, "It's my fault that Will's upset."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I think maybe you should talk to Will first, he's your brother, it should come from him."

"You're worrying me now Lizzie," she said.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to upset you. You know you're one of my closest friends. But you also know I never want to come between you two."

"You could never do that." Georgiana assured her, but Lizzie knew that wasn't true. Georgiana might be very good at separating her friendship with Lizzie from her relationship with her brother. But there were betrayals she knew they couldn't overcome. She suspected this might be one of them.

"Georgie?" they were interrupted.

"William!" Georgiana squealed, spinning around and running into her older brothers arms for a welcoming hug.

"Georgie, what are you doing here?" He asked, but he was looking at Elizabeth, not his sister, and Georgiana noticed. She stepped out of her brother's embrace to open the conversation up to Lizzie as well.

"I was worried about you!" she said, "You sounded so sad on the phone on Sunday, I decided I had to come back to cheer you up!"

"Georgie, you didn't have to do that. What about school?" he asked.

"I'm on break for three more weeks." She assured him. He looked down at her with a smile, Georgiana was taller than most girls, but Will was still taller by a few inches, Lizzie was always looking up at him she was used to it, being a head shorter than him, but standing between them always made her feel short.

"Well it's wonderful to see you!" he smiled, "What about I take you to lunch?" he asked.

"Of course," she said, then turned to Lizzie "Would you join us Elizabeth?" she asked. No, she wouldn't. But she couldn't say that without sounding rude.

Looking to Darcy's face he looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted her to come or not. But she decided she wouldn't torture him anymore than she already had. Besides, she was sure he wanted to tell his sister about everything that had happened between them. Georgie may have been ten years younger than Will, but they were each other's deepest confidantes, Lizzie knew there wasn't a secret between the two of them.

"I really can't Georgie, I'm so sorry. But I have a lot to do this afternoon." She declined.

"Oh," Georgiana frowned, then smiled again, "Well you must promise to have lunch with me this weekend!"

"Of course," Lizzie smiled, "Have fun you two."

Lizzie turned to walk away as Georgiana said a cheery goodbye, she glanced over her shoulder to wave goodbye and caught Darcy's eye. He still looked like he was trying to make a decision about something, but Lizzie didn't know what. She gave him a weak smile, and then went shut herself in her office for the rest of the afternoon.

"Kate?" she called as she walked through the door, "What are these?"

Sitting on her desk Lizzie was surprised to find a large flower arrangement taking up most of the free space.

"They were just delivered," Kate replied, "You were busy with Darcy so I signed for them. There's a card." She gave Lizzie a suspicious wink and Lizzie made a face back at her before walking over to the ostentatious arrangement and searching for the supposed card. She drew it out from between two yellow roses and realised who they were from.

_I'm sorry for missing your big night._

_I tried to call._

_Sincerely,_

_George Wickham_

She sighed, '_how very formal of you George,'_ she thought_,_ sinking into her office chair she picked up her phone and dialled his number. He picked up after only one ring.

"I take it you got my flowers" he said, not bothering with a hello.

"I did, thank you," she said, she knew she sounded deflated.

"I really am sorry I let you down," he said "I figured you must have been angry when you didn't call me back yesterday," he said, she tried not to scoff. She hadn't ignored his call intentionally, she'd just forgot.

"Can I make it up to you? Take you to dinner?" he asked.

"I'm not sure George," she told him, weighing up the pros and cons of going on a date with George while simultaneously trying to decipher her feelings for her boss. She wasn't having much luck.

"Please Liz, just dinner?" he asked again.

"I suppose,"

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Just peachy," she lied.

"Ok, good." He didn't ask anymore about her mood, she was both grateful that she didn't have to lie, but also a little miffed that he obviously didn't sense the truth.

"So what about tomorrow tonight? I can pick you up at seven" he offered, she forced a smile before she realized he couldn't actually see her.

"How about I meet you out?" she suggested.

"You can't keep me away from your place forever Liz. I'll find out one day,"

"You act like I'm doing it intentionally," she was, but he shouldn't know that.

It wasn't that she didn't trust George… or maybe she didn't. What with Jane whispering in her ears about it all the time, and Charlie's obvious dislike for him, that was the words of two people who she trusted immensely, against the word of one man who she couldn't stand! Although, she realised, that opinion of Darcy was not quite accurate anymore.

"It's fine Liz. We'll meet out, it's not a problem," he said, but he sounded upset.

"Great, thank you," she said.

They made plans to meet for dinner the next night, but she didn't commit to his offer of a movie afterwards. Unsure of how felt about the whole situation at this point, and very aware of that niggling voice in the back of her head that kept whispering _'Darcy.'_

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><p><strong>Please review, your thoughts and idea's a very welcome, and I try to incorporate your feedback when I can! =)<strong>


	12. Chapter 11

**So this should have been uploaded last night, but instead of writing I spent most of the evening lying on my living room floor listening to Joni Mitchell. I think that's justified.**

**Anyway, this is a short one, so I'm giving you not ONE but TWO chapters! How generous am I?**

**Enjoy, and please review!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 11<strong>

"_This time?"_ her quiet voice had asked. That's when he realised what he'd said, what he'd accidently admitted. Yes, he was going to fight for her. At the very least to get that scoundrel George Wickham out of her life! But he wasn't sure how, he didn't know what lies he'd told her, or what their relationship was.

'_She'd thought I was Wickham!' _

That thought made him sick to his stomach, she'd planned to sleep with Wickham that night! He couldn't help but be somewhat grateful that she'd ended up in bed with him after all, even if she didn't know it was him at the time, at least she hadn't been with _him._

Yes, he was certainly going to fight for her this time. _This time._

Three years ago, he'd let her walk away without knowing he had feelings for her. He'd thought it would make her happy. Now he wished he hadn't stepped aside, seeing as it was all for nothing, Luke Masters hadn't even been her boyfriend!

Needing time to think things through, and plan, he'd left town that evening and driven out to the family's country property. He usually didn't come to Pemberley without his sister, but he needed somewhere to escape to, just for a few days, so that he could face Lizzie with a clear head. What he hadn't expected was so return to the city and find her chatting animatedly with his little sister!

"Georgie?" he called out as he stepped off the lift, his sister turned to face him, her face lighting up with uncontained happiness. It had been five months since they'd last seen each other, before she left for her year abroad.

"William!" she cried running to him for a hug, behind her Lizzie stood watching them, he'd interrupted their conversation. He couldn't stop looking at her throughout the rest of their exchange, he kept glancing up at her face, trying to decipher her thoughts. Last time they spoke, he'd stormed off in anger, and he hoped that she wasn't angry at him now. She didn't seem to be. When Georgiana invited her to join them for lunch her was suddenly torn between still needing time away from the whole situation, and wanting to just spend time with Lizzie, and show her who he was… who he could be. When she declined he wasn't sure if he was glad or disappointed. In the end, it was good because he _really _needed to talk to Georgiana.

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><p>"So, what's going on between you and Lizzie then?" Georgie asked half an hour later when they were seated at the restaurant.<p>

"Me and Lizzie?" he asked, playing dumb.

"Yes, you can't hide from me brother, I know you, and I know Lizzie. What happened?" she said pointedly, and he didn't need any more convincing. If there was one person who could tell absolutely anything to, it was his sister.

"We slept together," he blurted out and her jaw dropped in shock. Then she squealed!

"Ahhhhh! I knew it! I knew you two would end up together!" she cried.

"No, it's not like that Georgie," he said sadly, she stopped celebrating and waited for him to explain.

"She, she's seeing someone else," he started, "Someone we both know, and she thought… she thought I was him when we went to bed together. It was at the benefit, the theme was masquerade, and we look very similar and…"

"Oh my god, she's seeing Wickham isn't she?" Georgiana interrupted.

"Yes," he murmured, Georgiana slumped back in her chair.

"You _have _to tell her Will, you have to convince her to stay away from him," she insisted.

"I know that Georgie, but I just don't think she'll listen to me. She'll accuse me of manipulating her, or being jealous or vindictive. Who knows what lies Wickham has been telling her about me?"

"Will, you need to tell her _everything_." She argued, "Not just what happened with Dad and the company, but everything that happened with me as well."

She stated herself so calmly that Will had to take a minute to appreciate his little sister, she'd grown up so much in the past three years, become more assertive and independent. He wasn't convinced that it was purely because of the disaster with Wickham, he was quite sure it had something to do with the friendship she had formed with Elizabeth when she'd first joined the company. Watching her sit before him now, insisting he bring up the dregs of her past to ensure Lizzie's safety, he knew that she was right, and he was so thankful that she was here.

"You're right," he agreed, "I'll tell her tomorrow, I'll make sure she listens and I'll tell her that you and Richard can back up my story."

"And Charles," Georgiana added, "He knows all about the financial side of it, and Lizzie already trusts him."

"You don't know how thankful I am that you're here Georgie, and how proud I am of you," he said, causing her to blush scarlet.

"Oh shush," she smiled, "Now, tell me William. What exactly do you want from Elizabeth, and how are you going to get it?"

It was Will's turn to blush, but he laughed, it was so good to have his sister home again!

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><p><strong>Hmm, yes, what is it exactly that Will wants? Any ideas? =P<strong>


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

After Darcy left for lunch with his sister Lizzie set about her jobs for the rest of the day, but she was in such an emotional stupor from her encounters with Darcy over the past week that she was doing everything on autopilot, and was finished within the hour. With nothing left to do she decided to go home early, instead of sitting in her office staring at Darcy's office door all afternoon.

"I'm heading out Charlie," she said, popping her head in his office door on her way out.

"Oh, all right Lizzie, I'll probably see you tonight when I pick up Jane," he blushed.

"Another date with my sister Charles!" She exclaimed, "Do I have to sit down and ask you about your intentions?" she teased, but he didn't bat an eye.

"You know very well what my intentions are Lizzie," he pronounced.

"I was just teasing you Charlie," she smiled, "I know you love her very much, but would you please define your relationship already! There's only so long I can tease the two of you. Ask the woman to be your girlfriend already!" she exclaimed.

Charles sighed, looking rather guilty as he fiddled with his desk blotter.

"I have been terrible haven't I?" he asked, "I mean we've been seeing each other for months now! How could I be so stupid, she must hate me!"

"Oh Charlie, no, she doesn't hate you!" Lizzie assured him, coming into his office properly and sitting across the desk from him.

"I know it was weird for you guys, when you started dating after being friends for so long. But trust me, you are a great couple, I just want both of you to be happy. Jane really likes you Charlie, but she's in denial because you aren't 'officially' a couple."

"So what should I do?" he asked.

"Just tell her how you feel about her, and tell her you want to be a real couple!" Lizzie declared with wisdom beyond her experience.

"That simple huh?" he asked with a sly smiled, "I didn't know what an expert you were!" he was teasing her.

"Charlie," she chided.

"I'll ask her," he assured her and she nodded her approval and got up to leave, "But!" he stopped her "You have to promise to work things out with Will," her face soured.

"I mean it Liz!" he cried, "I see how you're both struggling with this new _stuff_ between you, but you need to work it out. He's a good man Lizzie, and I think you know that."

Lizzie paused a minute to think about what Charlie was saying, was there more to Darcy that she'd given him credit for? Maybe… She knew she could be pretty stubborn sometimes, it wouldn't be the first time she'd misjudged someone and been too stubborn to see otherwise… nor the last she was sure.

"I'll see you later Charlie," she said finally, "Bye!"

Then she fled his office, she'd been doing a lot of running away this week, maybe it was time she stopped running away, and actually dealt with the problems… maybe.

Jane was sitting on the sofa grading papers for her eighth grade English class when Lizzie got home at four. She'd beat peak hour on the tube and made excellent time, so Jane hadn't been expecting her.

"You're watching Dirty Dancing again?" Lizzie teased her, seeing the DVD playing quietly on the television, "you're more depressed than I thought!"

"Did you see Will today?" Jane shot back, ignoring Lizzie's jibes and doling out a few of her own.

"Shut up," she mumbled back, "So, you're going out with Charlie again tonight?" she asked, dumping her stuff on the kitchen bench.

"I am, and tomorrow." She smiled, following her into the kitchen.

"Two date nights in a row! Hallelujah!" Lizzie joked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"He's coming over, I'm cooking him dinner. You can join us if you like." Jane offered.

"And be subjected to several hours of you two staring lovingly into each other's eyes like love struck puppies?" Lizzie teased, "No, thank you!"

"We are not love struck puppies!" Jane argued with a pout, "You wouldn't be intruding."

"It's okay Jane, I have a date tomorrow night anyway," she explained.

"A date?" Jane cried, "With Will?" she asked excitedly, Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"No Jane, with George," she admitted, Jane tried not to frown "Look, I know you don't like him Jane, but he hasn't done anything wrong by be, and he's perfectly nice, so why shouldn't I go out with him?" Lizzie asked.

"I would think after everything that happened with Will you might, I don't know, break it off with him?"

Lizzie scoffed.

"Why? Jane, it's not like what happened between Darcy and me changed anything. It wasn't some inevitable encounter after years of sexual tension that's going to lead us down the path of happy endings!" That comment received an arched brow of suspicion.

"You're ranting," Jane interjected, "Look, I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that there is more to your relationship with Darcy than you're admitting. You have history with him. You don't have anything with George, and to be honest. He's a bit smarmy," Jane shuddered "He gives me the creeps."

Lizzie sighed, she knew Jane had a kind heart, and usually thought the best of everybody, so for her to feel this way about George, Lizzie had to give it some merit.

"Be that as it may, I won't cancel on that alone," she pulled Jane into a hug "But I appreciated your concern for me Jane."

After their talk Jane went back to grading her papers and Lizzie went to her room and changed into her pyjamas to have another pity party, at least that was her plan. As it turned out she spend most of the evening lying across her bed analysing every interaction she could remember having with Darcy over the past three and a bit years, and before she knew it, it was dark outside and she'd fallen asleep hugging her pillow.

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><p><strong>Well, well, it seems that Lizzie is being pushed to work things out with Darcy from a few different directions, is she starting to see the light?<strong>

**The next chapters a BIGGIE! What do you think I've got planned for you? =P**

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13

**So it's my birthday today, and this morning my boyfriend gave me a card he made with this inside it... **

**http:/i98(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/l251/aedie13/Shared/IMG_1621(dot)jpg**

**... he officially get the title of _Best Boyfriend Ever!_**

**So I'm uploading this chapter early as I am feeling generous, all I ask in return, is that you leave me a little review! Make me feel a little better about getting older! =P**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 13<strong>

Darcy walked into Elizabeth's office at about four o'clock the next afternoon, intent on taking his sister's advice and warning Lizzie about George Wickham as soon as possible. But her office was empty.

"Kate!" he called, probably a little to harshly, and Lizzie's assistant came rushing in.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy?" she asked.

"Where's Elizabeth?" he asked.

"She said something about leaving early because she had to run home before her date tonight," Kate answered truthfully.

"Date?" He asked, "With who?"

Kate gave him a look and he knew he was asking the wrong person, and realised he probably sounded like a jealous fool.

"She didn't say, but I assume it was the same guy who sent those," she gestured to the large flower arrangement on the cabinet behind Lizzie's desk, "And she literally just left, I don't know how you missed her," she added as Will strode over to the flowers and picked the card off the holder.

He growled out loud when he read the signature '_George Wickham'. _He turned and marched out of her office, quickly heading towards the elevators. Ahead of him he saw her, Lizzie was laughing a goodbye with Charlie outside the break room.

"Well, I'm happy you're finally official!" he heard her say then she turned to walk away, she called back at him teasingly, "Who knows, maybe soon I'll be able to call you my brother!" Charles blushed and disappeared into the break room and Lizzie kept heading to the elevators.

"Elizabeth, wait!" he barked. She looked back and saw him, and actually stopped. He'd expected her to bolt again. He reached her and grabbed her elbow, steering her into the open conference room just behind them, he didn't say anything and she let him lead her into the room, he shut the door behind them.

"What's up?" she asked, there was no snark in her voice at all, and it surprised him for a moment that she wasn't trying to attack him for manhandling her.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you about something," he started, "And given that I just found out that you're going on a date, I don't want you to interpret this as, jealousy or manipulation. I was honestly on my way to tell you this before I knew that." He stopped to gauge her reaction, her expression was curious, but relatively neutral.

"I um…" he paused again, he felt odd the two of them standing like this, several feet apart and staring at each other. He moved over to the conference table and leant back against it.

"I saw the flowers in your office, from Wickham," he said, again shocked that she didn't blow up at him for invading her privacy. Something was definitely difference with Lizzie today. "I didn't mean to snoop, not really," he added, "But I'm glad I did, because you should know that George Wickham isn't the man who you think he is."

She came over to the table and put her things down before taking the seat at the head of the table, Darcy moved to face her, sitting in the chair to her right.

"I know he's probably already told you some story about me, but I hope you'll believe what I say."

"I know George isn't all he appears to be," she interrupted him, "I can tell that much, things don't really add up with him. And Jane doesn't trust him, and even Charlie warned me off him. So, despite what he said, I'm ready to listen to your side of the story."

He gave her a smile, which she returned, and he felt better knowing this wasn't going to fall on deaf ears.

"He said you were friend's when you were younger," She said, "Is that true?"

"It is," he said, and he started his sordid story.

"But we haven't been close for quite some time. George was the son of my father's old business partner, he was born about a year after I was, and our mother's were close friends, so we would often have play dates. We were very close friends for most of our childhoods, things changed somewhat after Georgiana was born, I wasn't able to stop everything and play with him at the drop of a hat anymore, I was smitten with my baby sister!" He had a big smile on his face as he spoke of Georgiana.

"But it wasn't until we were at Eton that things really changed between us. George was in the grade under me, so when he joined me at Eaton when I was in my second year, I hadn't seen him since the previous August as we'd been travelling for the summer. Something about George was very... off putting when we reunited. He wasn't the same George that I was expecting.

"He started acting out, misbehaving, he got a lot of detentions, but managed to charm his way out of any more serious punishments. What was most difficult though, was he would use his connections to me, and my good reputation to offset his own. Once I graduated, he still had a year remained, but without me around to I supposed, pseudo-protect him, he didn't fair very well. The other boys didn't like that he got away with so much trouble before, often meaning the blame would fall on his accomplices, of which he had many, in his final year he got into many fights, and in the end was expelled. So close to his final exams he couldn't enter a new school, and he refused to repeat the following year. He never graduated, which is how he ended up in the army. Are you still with me?" he smirked.

Lizzie had been listening intently, George had never shared anything of his past with her beyond his occupation, and the distasteful, what she was now assuming to be lies, about Darcy. She nodded for Will to continue his story, and he obliged.

"About five years ago, George's father, Paul, got very sick and couldn't work any more, George was overseas at the time on duty, so he sold his percentage of the company to my father, who placed it into my name. I was already working here, learning the ropes of Darcy enterprises at that time. A few months later, Paul passed away. George was still deployed so he couldn't come to the funeral. So it wasn't until my father passed away that George finally resurfaced, about six months later.

"My father unbeknownst to me, had willed thirty percent of the company to George with the proviso that I taught him everything he needed to know about working here. George visited me after he got the news, and told me, he didn't want his thirty percent, instead he wanted the cash value of his percentage. I agreed, and bought him out. He received several million dollars for his share, and went on his merry way.

"I don't know how he possibly did it, but he managed to loose most of that money in bad investments, gambling and over indulgence. About six months before you arrived here, George came back. He wanted back into the company, but I refused. Our father's had been gone longer enough that I no longer felt obligated to bow to George's every whim in their honour, when I declined him his percentage, which I had legally purchased and he had no claim to, he demanded I give him more money. Which I also refused, he left in a huff, and I never expected to see him again."

Darcy choked up a little at the end of that sentence and Lizzie could sense there was something more to come that had nothing to do with George's stake in Darcy Enterprises. She waited patiently for him to continue.

"Two months after he visited me, I discovered that he as been in contact with Georgiana, he had been using his charms to entice her to go out with him. I believe he thought that Georgiana was his way into our family's money. The thirty percent that was once George's, I had put in Georgiana's name, but at the time, she wasn't aware of that. She was only sixteen then. I came home early one day, and George was at our house, he was…" Darcy paused and took a deep breath, Lizzie reached across the table and brushed his hand with hers, breaking his deep reverie.

"He was trying to force himself on her" he snarled, looking Lizzie in the eye. "She'd refused to go to bed with him, so he was going to force her. I heard her cried when I got into the house, and raced up to her room. He had her held down on the bed and his pants around his knees. Luckily I was in time to prevent him getting any further. I threw him out and called the police, but he never faced any real charges because 'attempted rape' isn't actually 'rape'," his voice was dark, and his body was tense. "His commanding officer gave him excellent commendations and he got off with a warning and a restraining order against him. He's not allowed anywhere near Georgiana or our house."

He looked up at her face, and after enduring that tale, it was like a breath of fresh air. He looked at the spot on the table where he hand rested against his as if it was the first time he was noticing it, and she drew her hand away quickly.

"And that's everything" she asked finally, her voice quiet.

"Yes. You can ask my cousin Richard or Georgiana to back up my claims, and even Bingley to an extent, he knows most of what happened when it comes to the company. I never told him about Georgie, because well, that's private. But Georgie gave me permission to tell you the whole truth when we spoke last night."

"He lied to me," she said, "He said you'd refused to honour your father's will and left him without his share of the company which he'd been counting on to make his way in life, and because he didn't have a college degree was stuck in the army."

Darcy scoffed.

"I can see that your story makes more sense, I do believe you Darcy. And I'll stay away from Wickham after tonight."

"After tonight?" he asked, "You're still going to see him tonight?"

"It's too late for me to cancel," she said "I'm going to have to go straight from here as it is."

"I wish you wouldn't,"

"I know," she smiled "But if it helps, I'm going to break it off with him now that I know the truth. My heart wasn't in it Darcy, I realise that now." She stood up and gathered her things. She turned to leave the room and he grabbed her hand, she turned her head to look at him.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this. But go easy on him." He said,

"You're right, I can't believe you said that!" she teased him. But stopped when she saw his serious face.

"The man has an awful temper, Lizzie. Don't give him a reason to take it out on you. Just, be careful," he said earnestly.

"I will, goodnight," she promised with a smile and then she walked away.

"I just want you to be safe," he murmured to the empty room, he watched her step on the lift and his heart dropped as the doors closed on her.

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><p><strong>Don't hate me for letting her leave! I have a plan, so trust me!<strong>

**Also, I'm sorry if there were any mistakes, I proofed it three times and each time it didn't save or my internet dropped out and I lost my changes. By the time I got to edit four, I lost motivation!**


	15. Chapter 14

**I'm back! Sorry for the slight delay on this chapter. I had to go back to Uni last week (2 more classes to finish and I can finally graduate!) Plus, after writing a chapter as heavy as the one you're about to read I got some terrible writers block, which I am still working my way through! **

**This is a pretty big chapter, both story wise and in length (double the usual!), and it's a bit darker than the rest of the story, so I hope you enjoy it, and please leave me a review!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 14<strong>

She met him at the restaurant, he'd chosen a small table right in the back even though there were open booths by the windows, which would have been much nicer… and had better lighting. He stood up to greet her, kissing her roughly on the mouth before she'd even said hello. His lips were not the soft, tentative ones that she'd experienced a few nights previous, and she groaned internally. The difference in their kiss should have ticked her off immediately on Saturday night. She knew what George's kisses were like, but she'd ignored the difference. That was something she'd have to analyse later.

Wickham pulled away with a smug grin and Elizabeth quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Hello George," she mumbled.

"Hello," he said back, planting himself back in his chair, while Lizzie pulled hers out and sat across from him.

She listened to him talking on about some venture he'd had with his military buddies last night, but she was only half paying attention, most of her brain was busy trying to come up with a way to let him down easy.

"You know Lizzie, I leave for another training camp on Sunday morning. This could be the last time we see each other for a while," he said, his lip curling up in an unsavoury grin. She responded to his smirk with a half smile, perhaps his going away would provide a good excuse not to see him any more.

"We should, make the most of it you know," he said, and then he winked! He actually winked at her. Lizzie leant back in her chair and tried not to cringe, she didn't respond to his innuendo.

"This lamb is delicious," she said instead, she caught the beginnings of a frown but he hid it quickly and smiled again.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Do you ever think of finding another job?" He asked suddenly, pulling Lizzie out of her thoughts.

"Why would I do that?" Lizzie asked, perturbed.

Wickham shrugged, but Lizzie just raised her eyebrows in and expression that said _'oh no, you're not getting out of it that easily'._

"I love my job George." She said again "Why would I leave it?"

"I just…" he paused, as if thinking, "I don't like the idea of you working for a guy like _Darcy_." He spat Darcy's name as if it were a bad taste in his mouth. Lizzie stifled a laugh, '_A guy like Darcy my left foot!' _She thought.

"Well, you don't really have a say in the matter. I love my job, I'm good at my job!" she cried, she was getting angry with him now, his attitude coupled with Darcy's warning's were a volatile combination.

"I know you are Lizzie," he assured her, but it did little to calm her, "I just don't like you being around him. He's a bad guy and I don't trust him, especially with you," he said. Lizzie started to fume, but tried to hold it in, remembering Darcy's words.

"I know you and Darcy have your issues," she said as calmly as she could manage, "But he's been a good boss to me, as much as you may dislike him, but I'm a big girl George, and I can look after myself. I certainly don't need, or want, you to protect me!"

She stood up and grabbed her coat and bag from the back of her chair.

"I think it's time I went home, _don't _call me. Thanks for dinner," she said, then turned on her heel and left the restaurant, glad to be out of that man's company.

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><p>She'd wanted to confront him, to yell at him, firstly for being a terrible person, for hurting Georgiana and taking advantage of Will, and then for lying to her. That had been the plan when she'd left the office. To tear him down and demand he stayed away from her. But as soon as she was sitting in front of him, all she could think about was Darcy warning her to be careful, not to get him angry, and for some reason, she listened to him… for once.<p>

She decided to walk home to clear her head, even if it would take her half an hour. As long as Jane didn't find out she'd walked alone at night, she'd be fine. Lizzie was usually able to keep her cool under just about every situation… the past few days excluded, but after everything she has learned, Wickham's comments had really upset her. Even though she fully believed everything Darcy had told her earlier that day, she'd wanted to have a clean break with George. To make sure he got the message that it was over, and break it off with him for good. But Wickham's smug arrogance, which Lizzie had never really noticed before, had really hit a nerve, and her amiable clean break plans had flown out the window.

She couldn't believe she'd been so easily deceived by George Wickham and his charms, she was starting to think she wasn't as good of a judge of character as she'd thought. This past week Darcy had been proving her perception of him wrong at every turn, and now Wickham! Who else has she wrongfully judged and not realised it?

She'd thought she had her life sorted, she had a great job, wonderful friends, and a wonderful, if sometimes slightly ridiculous, family who loved her. Even if some were better at showing it than others! She'd finally come to terms with the fact that her boss disliked her, only to find out he didn't at all, but what did it mean?

When she'd first met Darcy she'd been attracted to him instantly, he was handsome to be sure, but the pull Elizabeth had felt had been… magnetising. She'd almost handed in her resignation on her first day on the job just so she could flirt with him without persecution. She'd thought he felt the same way, he'd been charming and amiable and even flirted back with her when no one was around, then all of a sudden, stopped talking to her! For months! And she still didn't know why. Of course, he'd been much better behaved towards her recently, but that didn't lessen the sting. Her attraction for him had turned to hatred and she'd got on with her job, not giving him the time of day. Then she woke up in bed with him and suddenly her feelings had come back in full force, coupled with almost three years of disdain and enmity combining in a cocktail of confusion! And so for the past week a war had been waging inside her.

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><p>She suddenly realised she was almost home and crossed the street a few blocks down from her building. She was still so mixed up about her feelings, and seeing the tender and human side of Darcy as he'd recounted his history with Wickham earlier had nudged her guilt back to centre stage. She was so frustrated with herself, and her muddled emotions that she cried out loud at her self.<p>

"UGH! You just _had _to go and sleep with Darcy didn't you Lizzie!" she admonished herself.

Suddenly she heard something behind her and looked over her shoulder, someone was standing in the shadows.

"You WHAT?" the person bellowed, and George Wickham stepped out into plain sight and descended on her. She jumped away from him in the nick of time, coming into contact with the brick wall of the building next door to hers.

"You followed me!" she yelled, he was quick and suddenly had her pressed against the wall, his body up against hers. Lizzie struggled against him, but he was too strong.

"YOU SLEPT WITH DARCY?" He yelled right into her face, his breath was hot on her cheek as she continued to struggle against him. He continued to yell.

"YOU'RE JUST A LITTLE WHORE, SLEEPING WITH YOU BOSS! WITH THAT LOSER WHO SCREWED ME OVER! YOU KNEW WHAT HE'D DONE!"

Lizzie wanted to slap him, but he had her hands pinned behind her back now, his large rough hand holding her slim wrists together, he was wrestling her sideways towards the alley way. Lizzie was about to scream, to yell for help, and yell at him for being a dirty liar when his other hand clapped over her mouth.

He had her in the alley now, still tightly in his grip he threw her against the wall again, pinning her hands between her back and the brick, she felt her skin graze as she struggled. He removed his hand from her wrists but she still couldn't get them out because he had her pinned too close to the wall. She saw that he was reaching down to his pants and she started screaming against the hand over her mouth. Her pleas for help, for him to let her go, came out muffled, unintelligible and far too quiet for anyone to hear.

"Darcy thinks he can take you away from me as well? Fuck you and win you?" He ranted, his zip was open and he was jiggling his pants down. She kept up her struggles, "I'll show him! I'll show you both!" he screamed in her face, and suddenly his weight was gone and she was freed from his grip.

Wickham was lying on the floor yelling in pain, his hands covering his face, and standing over him, was Will Darcy.

"Will?" She asked, and she realised that her voice was shaky, and her cheeks were wet. She was crying.

"Lizzie!" he said, his voice was breathless, and filled with relief, he was at her side in one stride holding her shoulders and looking searching into her eyes. In the dark alley she couldn't see him properly, but she stepped in closer to him for comfort.

"Lizzie, are you alright?" he asked desperately. She felt her whole body shaking but nodded numbly.

"Wha… what are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly Wickham groaned and she stepped even closer to Darcy at the sound, she was right up against him now, and he put an arm around her.

"Let's get you upstairs first," he said, quickly leading her out of the alley and away from Wickham before he recovered. A few minutes later they were standing in Lizzie's foyer and she was sliding the three dead bolts into place. Locking them securely inside.

Darcy was still silent, and Lizzie didn't think she'd be able to speak. He was still touching her shoulder and she covered his large hand with hers and led him to the living room couch. He sat beside her and let her take the comfort she seemed to need as she unwittingly snuggled into his side. She was still crying silently, and he didn't try and stop her, he just waited silently. When she stopped several minutes later and sat up a little, he spoke.

"Where is Jane?" he asked gently. Lizzie looked around as if she was just realising where she was.

"She was supposed to be home," she mumbled, "She was having Charlie over for dinner." Beyond that she didn't seem to know what to do, Darcy got up and went to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a glass of water, and a piece of paper in his hand.

He handed her the water and waited for her as she drank almost half of it in one go, then he passed her the paper. It was a note from Jane.

"They've gone to Charlie's instead," she mumbled after reading it. Good, she didn't want Charles around to see her like this, and Jane would just worry.

Darcy sat back down next to her, and Lizzie realised she still didn't know how he'd been in the alley at just the right time.

"Darcy, what are you doing here?" she asked. He looked up at her guiltily, and shrugged.

"When you left to meet Wickham," he spat the name, the same way Wickham had done his earlier that night, "I couldn't believe I'd let you walk away again, I was worried about you. I know you said you were breaking things off with him, but I just had a bad feeling. I wanted to stop you from going, but I knew you'd never listen to me. You're too good of a person to leave someone hanging, even someone like George." He paused, she was listening to him, but she was still shaky. He seemed to realise that and toned it down.

"I just wanted you to be safe," he continued, "And since I didn't know where to find you on your date, I came here and waited outside. I wanted to make sure you got home safely. I know that sounds horribly stalkerish and creepy, but I needed to see you, and there are still things I wanted to say to you before you left today, and thought with Wickham out of the way, we could talk…" he trailed off.

She didn't respond, but snuggled back into the couch, resting her head on his shoulder again.

They must have stayed sitting like that for half an hour without speaking, Darcy even thought that Lizzie had fallen asleep there, with her head resting on his shoulder and her hand on his lap. He was torn between leaving and giving her some space and staying there and indulging his selfish side for a while longer when she spoke, startling him.

"Thank you," she whispered, he smiled weakly.

"You don't have to thank me Elizabeth," he replied, and she couldn't help but realise he was using her full name again. She liked it when he called her Lizzie, it happened so rarely, usually only slipping out when he was angry with her, or as he proved earlier in the alley, worried about her. She was sure he didn't realise that he did it, but she realised she did the same thing with him. She never called him Will, unless it was an accident, but she had usually tired to distance herself from him by using his surname.

"I do," she assured him, "You saved my life. Who knows what Wickham would have done to me if you hadn't been there?" she asked, "He was assaulting me, he could have easily done worse," she said shakily.

He shuddered at the thought of loosing her, especially before he'd even really got her. He lightly pressed a kiss to the top of her head without thinking and she froze up again.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I'm sorry Elizabeth," he pulled away a little bit, scooting to the edge of the couch.

"There's so much I want to say to you," he said, "So much I need to explain…"

"Don't," she interrupted him, "Please, not now."

He nodded sadly with a sigh and started to stand up to leave, but this time she stopped him.

"No!" she cried, grabbing his hand, "Please… stay," she whispered, "I know there's a lot to be said. I know that, and we will, I promise." He sat back down again and she let go of his hand. "But I just can't, not right now. But please, don't leave me alone…" she felt herself shudder and knew she was about to cry again, "I just ca… ca… Can't," she cried, and he took her back into his arms, easing her down onto the couch. This time she cried herself to sleep with Will shushing quietly into her hair, stroking her back with his large comforting hands.

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><p>When she woke up hours later, the early sun breaking through the window and falling across her face, she was in her own bed and her sister was perched on the mattress next to her, tickling her left arm that lay on top of the blanket. Jane looked giddy as Lizzie groggily mumbled a good morning and pulled the blanket over her head.<p>

"Good morning?" Jane exclaimed, "Is that all you have to say to me? How about explaining why I came home this morning to find Will Darcy sleeping on our couch?" she cried.

Lizzie sat up then.

"He stayed?" she asked, shocked, figuring he'd have left once she was asleep. It could only have been him who'd put her to bed.

"Well, he's still here!" Jane whispered back, "So what the hell happened? I thought you had a date with George last night!"

"I did, it's a really long story Jane," Lizzie mumbled, settling back into her pillows and trying to figure out this mess she'd gotten herself into.

"I've got time," she said, settling in next to her.

Lizzie relented, she was worried about what Jane would say, how she'd react, but she deserved to know. They didn't keep any secrets from each other. The number of nights they'd spent in each other's beds, whispering under the covers, even after they moved out of their parent's house were countless. Hence why Lizzie knew far too much about Charlie's sexual prowess than she needed to know about her boss, but this was something too serious to keep from her. So she recounted the events of last night, starting from Darcy telling her the truth about George, up until she fell asleep in his arms on the couch, and Jane listened with rapt attention, and reacted exactly the way Lizzie had expected her to.

She had finished her story and was reassuring Jane that she was fine when they heard stirring in the living room.

"Elizabeth?" Darcy's voice called out, he sounded like he was standing at the end of the hall. Lizzie climbed out of bed, straightened the clothes that she still wore from last night, and went out to meet him, Jane following a few steps behind her.

"Hi," she said somewhat timidly, not sure of how she should be acting around him now. He responded with a 'hi' of his own and a nervous smile. Jane cleared her throat pulling them out of la-la land and Darcy finally looked at her.

"Hi, Jane," he greeted her, then looked back to Lizzie, "I have to go," he said, "Georgie just called worrying about me, but I didn't want to leave without making sure you were alright."

"Thank you," Lizzie said, she felt like she was blushing, "You should go to Georgie."

She followed him to the door, unlocking it for him. Out on the landing he had one foot down the stairs while she stood in the doorway.

"We'll talk later?" he asked, to which she nodded an agreement.

"We will, go to Georgiana." He nodded and reached out, he took her hand and gave it a small squeeze before he disappeared down the stairs. Lizzie waited until his was out of sight then shut the door, locking all the bolts again. If she'd thought her situation with Darcy had been complicated yesterday, then she had no idea what to call it now. All she knew was that things were going to be very different from now on. But that there was a lot they both needed to answer for before any resolutions could be made.

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><p><strong>There we have it, remember, please review!<strong>


	16. Chapter 15

**Hello everyone and happy monday! I'm back with a new chapter for you guys! **

**Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, officially, that now that I am back in classes, working four days a week at one job and starting to freelance that this story will be put onto a weekly update schedule. All going well I will endeavour to post a new chapter every Monday!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 15<strong>

Half an hour after Darcy had left, Jane sat waiting for Lizzie at the kitchen table, with two full cups of tea.

"You should have called the police," she said, the moment that Lizzie walked out of the bathroom, towelling her wet hair.

Resigned, Lizzie sat beside her sister at the table and accepted the cup Jane pushed towards her, she took a moment to hang the damp towel on the back of her chair before delving into conversation with her older sister.

"Probably," she admitted, "But it honestly didn't occur to me at the time… I wasn't thinking straight Jane." She took a sip of the hot liquid and it comforted her a little, tea could be an amazing medicine.

"Well, Will should have thought to, at the very least!" Jane declared, Lizzie was silent, her attention focused on her drink.

"At least he was here!" she continued when Lizzie didn't speak, "I hate to think what would have happened to you Lizzie, if he hadn't been!"

"I'd rather not think about it," Lizzie muttered, she hated to think just what Wickham might have done if he hadn't been stopped. They were both silent for a few minutes, Lizzie lost in her own thoughts and Jane watching her with quiet concern.

It was Jane who broke the silence, when Lizzie looked like she was about to fall into a pit of self pity.

"I knew Will couldn't have done such awful things as Wickham said he'd done!" She said, Lizzie broke out of her reverie and looked up at her sister's solemn face.

"I can't believe I was so wrong Jane, that he managed to fool me that way. How could I have been so stupid?" Lizzie uttered, her voice wavering.

"Oh Lizzie!" Jane cried, "You weren't to know!"

"But Jane…" she paused, "It's not just him I've misjudged… Darcy…"

But she couldn't finish her sentence, as just then, a frantic knocking on the door interrupted them.

Both of the women's heads shot up in the direction of the front door, Lizzie froze, and it was Jane who, after a second round of knocking, finally made her way to the door, looking through the peep hole before unbolting the locks.

"Elizabeth?" her panicked voice preceded her presence, "Elizabeth?"

Lizzie was finally able to move from her frozen position and Georgiana Darcy came dashing into the room.

"Oh Lizzie!" she cried, throwing herself at Elizabeth who was still half sitting at the table, "My brother told me what happened, are you alright? I'm so, so sorry!" she gushed.

"I'm quite alright Georgie," Lizzie assured her, pushing the younger girl away a little so that she could breath, "Shaken, but I'm okay."

Georgiana took a step back, but still kept a hold of Lizzie by the shoulders, with her arms straight she looked Lizzie up and down as if to appraise any damage she might have, after a moment she seemed to be satisfied.

"I'm so glad that George didn't manage to hurt you," she said solemnly, "It was lucky William was here waiting for you!"

Lizzie nodded her agreement, she'd thanked her lucky stars a few hundred times since Will had rescued her from the alley last night, for the very same reason.

There was another knock on the door then, and Jane still being the closest went over and repeated the peep hole check before opening the door again. This time it was Charlie who entered the room, blissfully ignorant.

"Hello beautiful!" He said, stealing a kiss before Jane could reply, she replied with a hello and an adorable blush before relocking the door, giving Charlie the chance to notice the others.

"Hello Lizzie!" He beamed, "And Georgiana! What are you doing here! It's wonderful to see you again!" He bounced over and gave them both sweeping hugs before returning to Jane's side, now that she was closer to them.

Suddenly the flat felt very crowded and Lizzie felt the need to escape for a while, and she definitely didn't want to talk about this in front of Charlie.

"Shall we go and have something to eat?" Georgiana asked then, sensing Lizzie's unspoken desire.

"Yes, lets go," she agreed, Jane looked as if she might protest but remained silent as Lizzie reached for her coat, "We'll be fine Jane," she whispered as she passed by her sister, who accompanied the two girls to the door. Charlie remained by the sofa, smiling brightly.

"But please, don't tell Charlie what happened. I hate to tell you to keep a secret from him, but he is my boss, and there a some things best kept private."

"He doesn't need to know," Jane agreed, "Be careful, both of you."

Georgiana grabbed Elizabeth by the hand and dragged her out of the apartment, Charlie was waving goodbye jovially and Lizzie tried not to focus on Jane's concerned expression as she waved back at them.

Downstairs on the sidewalk Georgiana led her towards a car that Lizzie recognized as belonging to Darcy. She quickly did a sweep of the street as if she expected him to be waiting for them.

"Will isn't here," Georgiana laughed when she noticed Elizabeth's reaction, "My car is out at Pemberley while I've been away, so I hijacked Will's when he told me what happened last night and came right over. He of course, wanted to come back with me, but I told him that this was girls only. He wasn't too pleased." She giggled then, and unlocked the car doors.

"Shall we get breakfast?" She asked, checking her watch, it was still early. Lizzie agreed with a nod of her head, she was getting hungry, she hadn't eaten since the restaurant last night when she'd walked out on half her meal.

"Good idea, I'm starving," Lizzie said, strapping herself into the passenger seat of Darcy's luxury car and savouring the leather upholstery.

"Ha!" Georgiana laughed, "You're always starving, at least I know _some _things will never change," She said cryptically, but Lizzie didn't get an opportunity to question her friend because she was suddenly gripping tight onto the seat edge as Georgiana peeled out of the parking space and sped down the street. Lizzie felt herself grumble a little inside _'Damn you Darcy and your powerful sports car', _so maybe she _had_ realised she'd been wrong about Darcy, but that didn't mean all her opinions had to change right away, and she still thought his car was obnoxious.

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><p>It wasn't until they were seated in a booth at a nearby diner, waiting for their food, that Georgiana finally broached the subject of last night again.<p>

"My brother says that I am to convince you to make a police report," she said sipping her coffee.

Lizzie quirked a brow and Georgiana smirked.

"He thought I'd protest?" Lizzie asked,

"Not necessarily, I think he's just afraid of upsetting you. You seem to intimidate him a little. Plus he feels guilty for not calling the police right away. But, you know it was just because he was so worried about you, right?" Georgiana asked. Lizzie didn't hesitate.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, "The thought never occurred to me either," she admitted.

"I think that's probably normal." Georgiana started, but stopped short as the waitress arrived with the food. Once she was out of ear shot again Georgiana picked up her fork and started in on her breakfast as she continued.

"You were probably in shock Lizzie, grateful to be safe. You weren't thinking logically…" she paused, making eye contact, "I know I wasn't when it happened to me."

"Oh, Gigi!" Lizzie sighed, "I'm so sorry I've dragged you back into this mess. You shouldn't have to deal with him,"

"Hush!" Georgiana cut her off, "Don't be silly, you're my friend and I love you Lizzie, you're practically a sister to me. I can help you, I've been where you are, you're not dragging me anywhere."

"I'm sure your brother doesn't feel that way," Lizzie mumbled, nibbling on a hash brown.

"My brother is sick with worry about you," she said, "I think he almost wore a hole in the living room rug this morning, pacing back and forth while he told me what happened."

Elizabeth blushed profusely, Darcy was that concerned for her? She was struggling to contemplate the notion.

"He'll have to lodge a police statement too," Lizzie replied, "He rescued me after all, they'll have questions for him."

"I'll have him meet us there," Georgiana smiled, "Now eat your eggs before they get cold!" she said with a shudder, spearing some eggs of her own and popping them in her mouth.

"Yes mother," Lizzie teased, but the younger girl she smiled back at her, simply grateful to be back in the company of her closest friend.

After breakfast, which Lizzie insisted she pay for, Georgiana drove them to the police station nearest Lizzie's apartment. When they arrived they found that Will was already there, pacing again, but this time he was wearing a divot in the concrete steps.

"Will!" Georgiana called out as they made their way across the road from their parking space. Will turned at the sound of his name and a small smile of relieve graced his face when he saw the two women walking towards him. He pulled his sister into a hug immediately, and wanted to do the same for Lizzie but didn't know if he could, if she'd let him. He settled instead of taking a hold of her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze like he'd done earlier that day.

"Elizabeth," she said, "I'm sorry I didn't call the police last night, I hope you'll forgive my negligence, I wasn't thinking straight."

Lizzie nodded and gave him a smile, "There's no need to apologise Darcy, it didn't occur to me either." She was going to stop there, but she noticed the guilty look in his eye, "You were wonderful last night Darcy, you did everything right and I truly appreciate it." That seemed to placate him and he led them inside, they approached the officer sitting behind the main desk, who smiled up at them cheerily.

"What can I do for you today?" He asked, it was Lizzie who spoke, surprising Darcy who had expected he would need to lead the discussion.

"I need to file a report," Lizzie said, he voice stronger that she expected it to be, "A man tried to assault me last night."

"Tried?" the officer asked,

"Yes," Lizzie confirmed, "And he would have been successful if it hadn't been for this man, he stopped the attack."

"Do you know who it was that attacked you miss?" he asked,

"I do," she replied, "His name is George Wickham, I had been dating him recently, but I broke up with him last night after I found out what kind of a man he truly was,"

"Which is?" The officer asked.

"He's a liar and a cheat, and he's attempted to assault people before!" Darcy interrupted, not liking the attitude this young police officer was giving them.

"And you are, sir?"

"I'm William Darcy." He answered, "I am Elizabeth's boss and I stopped Wickham from attacking her last night, and this is my sister, one of Wickham's previous targets, she has a restraining order against him already,"

"Alright then, I'll have you all come through to an interview room and get some statements from you then, follow me." He said, and led the group down a long hallway into a small room. There was a table and some desk chairs as well as a ratty old sofa against one of the walls.

"You all wait here a moment and I'll get a detective for you," the young officer said, and then left them alone in the room to wait.

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><p>It was another hour before they were able to leave the police station, once the detective, Rebecca Ryan had arrived they'd managed to make progress and Elizabeth's complaint had been filed.<p>

Detective Ryan had asked them all a lot of questions, mostly of Elizabeth and Darcy, but also a few of Georgiana.

She'd wanted to know the specific events of the night before, starting with why Lizzie had decided to break things off with George, up until Will's rescue.

She'd wanted to know how it was Darcy had managed to be there at the right time, but once they had explained their employer/employee relationship and Darcy vaguely said they'd "had things to discuss last night" that line of questioning was dropped.

Finally though their statements were filed and there was an APB out for Wickham, the detective had taken the photo of George from Lizzie's phone to put on the report as well has taken his phone number just in case they could track it. They were all instructed to contact her immediately if they saw of heard from Wickham and then they were free to go.

"Well, I think this calls for some extra large caramel latte's and some retail therapy, don't you Lizzie?" Georgiana asked once they were outside.

"Georgie…" Will started to deter her, just wanting to get Lizzie home to rest.

"Actually that sounds really great," Lizzie said, stopping Darcy mid sentence.

"Are you sure Elizabeth?" Darcy asked.

"Of course she's sure Will!" Georgiana intercepted, but Darcy kept his eyes on Lizzie waiting for her confirmation.

"I'm sure Will, Gigi and I haven't seen each other in so long, I could really use some girl time, and some Georgiana time."

"Looks like you'll have to catch another cab!" Georgiana laughed, she quickly gave her brother a peck on the cheek and skipped off towards the car.

"We'll be fine Will, I promise," Lizzie said, taking his hand this time and squeezing it the way he had done to hers, "Thanks again, we'll talk later."

Then she dropped his hand and went to join Georgiana in the car, they watched as Darcy hailed a cab and got in before Georgiana pulled out into traffic and headed further downtown for shopping and their favourite coffee shop, where they'd spend the rest of the day getting lost in shops, trying on clothes they'd never buy for themselves and shoes they'd never wear more than twice. Elizabeth allowed herself to relax and escape the stress of the past few days as she enjoyed Georgiana's company and actually managed to _not _think about Will every second… just every other second.

When the sun was starting to drop lower in the sky Georgiana drove Lizzie home and helped her separate their shopping bags in the back seat. Georgiana waited until Elizabeth was safe inside before she turned around to head back home to her brother. But she didn't realise that she didn't arrive back home alone, and Lizzie wasn't the one who should have been worrying tonight.

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><p><strong>Please review =)<strong>


	17. Chapter 16

**So many of you are so concerned for poor Georgiana! Don't worry my pretties, everything is going to work out in the end! **

**So, it's only my first week, and already I've missed my update schedule, clap, clap to me! I did try to post last night, but my internet up and died on me! So, I brought my laptop to work with me to borrow the wi-fi =P But, it's still Monday somewhere, so I won't feel too guilty about it!**

**Let me know if you find any mistakes and I'll fix them up, I've been over it a few times myself, but my proof reader was too busy this week to get it back to me on time.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 16<strong>

When Elizabeth woke up on Sunday morning, the last thing she felt like doing was getting out of her warm comfy bed. Yet, to her dismay, an hour later she still found herself sitting in the backseat of Charlie's BMW on their way to Longbourn for the Bennett family's weekly brunch.

"So what did Mum say when you told her you were bringing Charlie?" she asked Jane, who sat in the front seat holding Charlie's hand on the gearshift.

"I didn't tell her, perse," Jane blushed. Elizabeth moved forward to lean over the front seat with interest gleaming in her eyes.

"What exactly _did _you tell her?" she asked, Charlie was wearing a knowing grin so she knew that she was the only one left out.

"I simply told her that I would be bringing a gentlemen friend to brunch, so could she please set another place,"

"Gentleman friend!" Lizzie laughed at the phrase, "I can't believe she accepted that!" she scoffed,

"Well, she wasn't happy that I wouldn't tell her who it was, and she tried to get it out of me for a good twenty minutes, but eventually I just hung up," she laughed.

"Bravo!" Lizzie commended, Jane frowned at her and shook her head.

"Should I be scared?" Charles interrupted.

"Always," Lizzie laughed, "But don't worry, you're rich _and _handsome so she will love you."

"No, what you should be afraid of is her starting to plan our wedding before we've even sat down to eat!" Jane said, "She can be a little… exuberant."

"A little? Charles, I hope you realise the full ramifications of your coming today,"

Jane shot her a glare then, she didn't want to scare her new boyfriend any more than necessary.

"I can take it," Charlie piped in, reaching across the car and putting a hand on Jane's leg, "Anything for the woman I love," he grinned and Jane blushed fuchsia.

"Aww, it's no fun teasing you if you're going to be so nice about it," Lizzie groaned leaning back in her seat, her face arranged in a fake scowl.

"But I'll forgive you, just this once, because you're so damn cute," she smiled and turned to look out the window at the passing countryside. It wouldn't be long until they arrived at her parent's house so she would savour the short amount of silence she had left.

After they'd arrived and Lizzie felt that she'd endured enough of her mother gushing over Charles and talking up her sister, she decided to go up to the study and look for some books she wanted to borrow until brunch was served. She was sitting on the floor in the corner, still listening to the distant sounds of her family downstairs, when her dad found her.

"Lizzie my dear, hiding away are we?" He asked, sitting in his desk chair.

"Raiding your collection, actually," she smirked back, holding up a book.

He smiled in reply and sat silently watching his daughter for a few more minutes before he broke the silence again.

"How are you Lizzie?" he asked, he could sense everything was not well with his daughter, but wasn't sure exactly what was bothering her.

Lizzie sighed, not wanting to tell her father about what had happened the other night with Wickham, but knowing he wouldn't leave without some sort of answer. He spoke again before she had to answer him.

"Is it to do with your boss and…" he trailed off, not wanting to say the words, but used a rolling hand gesture to get his point across.

"Daddy," she groaned, but he smirked, he knew his Lizzie well enough to know he'd hit a sore spot.

"He's not taking advantage of you because of what happened is he?" he asked protectively.

"No!" she cried instantly, surprising her father with her defensive response. "No, he's not…" she continued, "Actually, I don't know what to think anymore daddy, this week has been so… different."

"Different?" he asked, "What do you mean? Is he pressuring you? Mistreating you?"

"No, no nothing like that Dad, Darcy has been… very amiable," she said.

"Amiable?"

She nodded, "He's almost like the Darcy he was when we first met… I, it's hard for me not to like him," she tried to explain.

"Lizzie, I thought you hated the man!" He exclaimed to which Lizzie shook her head.

"No papa… I mean, I thought I did too. But he's been so different, so attentive and frankly, friendly this week, I feel like I'm seeing the real Darcy at last."

"Are you sure? We both know what a proud and unpleasant man he's been since you started working for him, that's a lot of time to just sweep under the rug because of one week of pleasantries," he argued.

"I don't know Dad, I feel like I was wrong… maybe? You took my side when I complained about him, but your impression meeting him was completely based on my prejudices. I know you can't be unbiased. Jane says I've been wrong all along…" She paused, "There's still a lot for Darcy and I to discuss, but I haven't made a decision about everything yet. All I know is that I really like the Darcy that I've seen this week, and I'm not ready to dismiss that man yet."

"You tell me when you figure it out," he said getting up out of his chair, "I best go back down and reign in your mother before she scares Jane's new fellow away… or should I let her?" he asked

"No, Charlie is great. He and Jane are perfect together," Lizzie assured him.

"Then, I'll go and rescue them, see you downstairs," he said, leaning down he kissed the top of Lizzie's head before leaving the study.

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><p>"LIZZIE"!<p>

Her youngest sisters high pitched screech drew her from her book and she heard footsteps thundering down the hall as Lydia ran towards the study. She appeared in the doorway suddenly.

"Mummy sent me to fetch you, we're eating now," she said before turning on her heel and barrelling back down the hall, Lizzie rolled her eyes at her sisters exuberance and began to follow her at a regular pace, until she heard the all too familiar voice at the bottom of the stairs of cousin Collin and she understood why Lydia was sprinting around the house like a mad woman. She followed suit and ran as fast as she could to the table. Panting slightly, she secured a seat between her sister Kitty and Charlie, who was protected on the other side by Jane. It sounded mean, but there was only so much she could endure this weekend, and felt that she'd been through enough already.

"Why," she breathed heavily, "Is Collin here again?" she asked. Kitty smirked,

"He showed up unannounced, mother was frantic. Poor Mary's going to have to sit next to him and she doesn't even know he's here yet," she giggled. Across the table Lydia had taken the seat next to their mothers, and their dad was already sitting at the head of the table. The two remaining chairs were directly across from Lizzie and Kitty, and Mary was taking the one next to Lydia, her expression questioning why her sister was being so insistent.

"I'm sitting! Gosh Lyddie, what is wrong with you?" Mary asked as Lydia grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly into the chair. The next second Collin was standing behind her smiling, all be it awkwardly.

"It looks like we're to be dining companions today Mary," he said.

"I hate you," she whispered to Lydia before turning to smile at their cousin, "Hi Collin," she said, "I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Nor I, but I woke up this morning and thought, what better way to spend my Sunday than in the company of my dear cousins,"

Kitty leaned over to whisper in Lizzie's ear, and they all left Mary to her own devices with Collin. They all knew he would eventually shut up and sit in silence because he'd run out of things to say, so none of them were too concerned about their sister.

"Are you sure it's ok for me to come and stay with you Lizzie?" Kitty asked for the tenth time since Elizabeth had offered her the fold out couch in her and Jane's apartment for the few weeks before she started her semester at university.

"Of course its ok, otherwise I wouldn't have offered," she replied, "Besides, with you starting work with me next week, it makes sense that you stay for a few weeks. Until you get used to the city, it's much easier to get to the office from our apartment than from campus."

"I really appreciate it," she said, "I'm still so nervous!"

"Don't be, honestly, the job is not that hard and you'll get all the training you need until you feel comfortable with your tasks,"

Kitty laughed, "You make it sound like answering phones and giving directions is an important endeavour,"

Lizzie smiled, "Hey, you might be a receptionist, but you'll be an amazing receptionist!" she teased.

"If you say so," she laughed

"Did you want to come back to the city with us this afternoon?"

"Yes!" she cried, "My stupid car died on me this morning at the grocery store, I thought I was going to have to get the train."

Lizzie grinned, "Poor Bertha!" she exclaimed, "I told you when I passed that car onto you it wouldn't last very long, I'm surprised it's still running this long."

"Apparently it's not," she laughed, "Pass the waffles?"

Lizzie took one for herself before passing her sister the plate, then turned her attention to the rest of the family, a content smile on her face. As much as her family drove her nuts at times, they were still her family, and she loved them all dearly. After the weekend that she'd had, it was nice to have some normalcy in her life, so she enjoyed the rest of her day at her parents, and when she left that afternoon with Charlie, Jane and now Kitty in tow, she felt calmer than she had in days.

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><p>The same could not be said for Darcy. By the time Sunday night came around Will was anxious for the weekend to be over. As it was, he'd spent most of last night and today sitting in his study, staring at the walls thinking about Elizabeth, and hadn't managed to achieve anything productive all day.<p>

It was nearing dinner time when he heard Georgiana get home from running her errands so he went to find her and ask what she wanted to eat.

"Have you actually done _anything _today?" She asked when he found her in the kitchen, "You haven't even changed since I left this morning."

"I guess not," he sighed, opening the refrigerator, which was looking depressingly empty.

"I picked up some take away from the market," she said, opening a bag on the bench, "Heaven forbid you actually do some grocery shopping while I'm away. What have you been eating since I left anyway?" she asked.

He gestured down to the takeaway container she'd passed to him and grinned, "A lot of this," he said. She shook her head but didn't comment.

"So, what's got you all reclusive Will, is it Elizabeth?" she asked, he sighed loudly as he took a seat at the counter and opened his chicken salad.

"You know it is, Georgie," he replied, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about her, I'm worried about her and I'm worried about Wickham and I miss her,"

"So call her," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't want to pester her, we're in this weird limbo of a relationship right now, things between us are improving and I don't want to push too hard and push her away," he admitted.

"So you can't call her? That's ridiculous William, and you know it."

He shrugged, "She's not around anyway," he confessed, "I called Charlie and tried to get him to play some golf and distract me, but he's been with Lizzie and Jane at their parents house all day."

"Ah, yes, the Bennett Brunch," She nodded, "You should have asked her if you could go, I'm sure she'd have loved your company,"

"I'm not going to intrude on a family thing,"

"It's hardly formal Will, even I've been to a few. It's usually the just all the Bennett's and an insipid cousin, actually, you've probably met him. He works for Aunt Catherine and _actually likes _her!" She giggled, then sighed before continuing.

"Speaking of Aunt Catherine, she found out that I've come back for the break and I've been summoned to high tea tomorrow," she narrowed her eyes accusingly and Will jumped to defending himself.

"I didn't tell her!" He exclaimed, "You know I wouldn't!" She laughed, taking pity on him.

"I know, it was Richard, the man can't keep his fat gob shut for two minutes! So anyway, I'll need your car tomorrow, if that's ok?" she asked, Darcy nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll have Charlie pick me up," Georgiana checked her watch and looked up with a coy smile, she grabbed her dinner and headed for the stairs.

"It's still early, you should call Elizabeth, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!" she said, and then disappeared from the room. For a moment he considered his sister's advice for a few moments, but he didn't call her. Instead he tidied the kitchen and went upstairs to his room, where he attempted to watch the news, to no avail. After spending a few more hours lying on his bed thinking about Elizabeth and trying to find a way out of this murky territory they were in, so he could tell her how he really felt about her, and what he _truly _wants from their relationship.

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><p><strong>So, lots of questions still lingering I know, but what did you think? Please review! =)<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**Hey Hello! I'm managing to come in right on schedule today, so I'm rather proud of myself. Let's see if I can keep it up next week too!**

**So, i think there might have been a bit of confusion in the last chapter about Georgiana, sorry to leave you hanging, but that particular incident didn't fit into the timeline of the last chapter, and was always intended to be in this one. I probably should have mentioned that. So to the few who asked, no, I am not dropping that story line, it's about to pop up now!**

**There's a bit of 'POV' jumping in this chapter, just a warning, I hope it doesn't confuse anyone, but this was the only way it worked out smoothly =)**

**Thanks to everyone who favourited/story alerted last week, there were quite a few of you. I'd love it even more if you could also leave me a review!**

**Without further ado...**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 17<strong>

In the darkest hour before dawn on Monday, Lizzie sat up in her bed, she'd startled herself awake and she was overheated and hypersensitive… '_Oh no!'_ she thought, throwing off her blankets, _'I did NOT just have a sex dream about Darcy!'_

She fell back into her pillow, defeated, because that was exactly what had just happened. She had dreamed about the night that Wickham attacked her, and Will had saving her, bringing her back to the safety of her apartment. But instead of sitting patiently with her on the couch until she'd fallen asleep like it had really happened, he'd taken her in his arms and held her tightly against his long lean body, and he'd pulled back his head to look into her eyes, before dipping his head to kiss her.

Dream Lizzie, being the wanton hussy that she was, had kissed him right back and pulled him into her room when he'd pushed her down onto the bed and ravished her, slowly and gently, as if he was claiming her, which she supposed he had been… or so her subconscious had decided. She'd woken up shuddering when her dream self had reached the peak of the encounter, so yes, she had most certainly had a sex dream about Will Darcy. She groaned into her pillow, _'What on earth does that mean then?' _Was the thought that kept her awake, until she finally relented and got up to take a shower. Seeing him at work today was definitely going to be awkward now.

After her shower Lizzie returned to her bedroom to get dressed, spending a longer amount of time than usual selecting her work outfit for today. She wanted to look nice, maybe nicer than usual, but she felt like she needed to put in the extra effort. She picked out one of her more feminine work outfits, it wasn't exactly a suit, but it was business casual and softer than the harsh blacks most women she knew wore to the office. Making sure they didn't need ironing first, she changed into her olive green pinstripe dress pants and a v-neck cream blouse with a cinched waist and cap sleeves, and a pretty bow on one side. She chose to wear her hair down today, since she'd had time to properly blow dry it and it was straight and styled. On her feet were matching wedges that gave her a few extra centimetres height, and lastly she threw on some chunky beaded necklaces, a real difference for her because she generally didn't wear much jewellery to the office. When she was finally dressed she opened her bedroom door and hollered down the hallway for Kitty to hurry up, before searching her bed covers for her mobile phone. Out of habit she turned the screen on to check for messages and nearly dropped it again when she saw the alert '_1 New Message from Will Darcy' _flashing on the screen. She opened it apprehensively, worried about what a text from her boss could mean so early on a Monday morning.

'_I'm hoping we could talk today, but I have meetings all morning. Will you be in the office this afternoon?' _she read, and subconsciously gnawing on her bottom lip she opened a reply, but didn't get to write anything before she was interrupted by Jane, laughing at her from the door way and looking far too graceful and elegant to be on her way to teach high schoolers.

"You look awfully nice for a Monday, special occasion?" Jane asked teasingly, Lizzie, being the mature person that she was, poked her tongue out.

"Trying to impress your boss or something?" She asked, laughing at her own 'cleverness'. Lizzie tried not to give Jane the satisfaction of seeing her blush.

"Be quiet you," she said tossing a pillow at her elder sister. Jane dodged the attack and the pillow bounced off the doorframe onto the floor.

"I'm only teasing Liz," she said, picking up the pillow and returning it to the bed, "I think it's great that you're, what? Getting along? I'm not even sure what to call it," Jane admitted.

"Yeah, well neither am I," Elizabeth agreed, "He wants to talk to me today, so maybe we'll find out," she shrugged holding up her phone. Jane smiled,

"I hope so, anyway, I have to go. Have a nice day at work," She left the bedroom with a wink and Lizzie chuckled. She waited until Jane had hollered 'Good Luck' to Kitty in the bathroom and the front door slammed shut before she turned to her phone again and tapped out a reply. Hitting send quickly then shoving her phone into her purse and trying not to think about how nervous she was, checking the time and realising how late she was, Lizzie rushed out of her room then, and went to hurry Kitty out to the car. She was driving into work today, even though she usually got the tube, with Wickham still running around, she'd decided it was safest to stick to driving and horrifying traffic until she knew he was out of her hair.

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><p>Because Georgiana needed to use his car, Will was waiting for Charlie to get to his townhouse early on Monday so that he could get a lift into work. So it was at a quarter after eight, that Darcy found himself pulling out his phone and texting Lizzie before he lost his nerve, to ensure that he could see her at some point during the day. When she didn't immediately respond he got self-conscious again and had to remind himself that she was probably busy getting ready for work, not everyone was an early riser like he was. But that still didn't stop him from repeatedly checking his phone. It was fifteen minuted before the thing buzzed in his hand with a reply, one that warmed him inside and left an inkling of hope.<p>

'_I have a lunch meeting at 12.30, I should be back in the office by two. I'll come and find you =) Have a nice morning.'_

She'd come and find him. Something about that phase made Darcy extremely happy, and he was still grinning a few minutes later, which was probably why Charles was giving him a strange look when he climbed into his car. If he could just endure his morning meetings and the teleconference with Richard before lunch, then he'd finally get to talk to Lizzie and start to work out all the stuff between them. The prospect of moving forward was enlightening for him, so his cheery disposition remained with him all morning.

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><p>On his way back in from lunch, Darcy was crossing the main lobby of the office building that housed Darcy Enterprises Headquarters when he was surprised to see Elizabeth standing over by the reception desk, her back to him. She was talking with the concierge, Caleb, and seemed to be listening intently to what he was saying as he approached her.<p>

Caleb had left just as Darcy reached her and Lizzie had turned her attention to a large folder that lay before her on the counter.

"Elizabeth," he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder and gain her attention. She turned to face him with a smile, but he was taken aback for a brief moment.

"Oh, sorry, you're not who I thought you were…" he trailed off, the girl laughed.

"I'm Katherine," The girl said, "Or Kitty, rather, I'm Lizzie's sister,"

"Oh, right! You started working here today, I almost forgot, I'm very sorry,"

"Oh, no problem!" She laughed again, "Everyone always seems to mix us up at first, Lizzie and I do look very alike,"

"Yes, at first glance," He laughed, "Well, sorry to interrupt you, I'm Will Darcy, Lizzie's boss. And I suppose yours too now!"

He held out his hand to shake hers and the girl blushed a little as she returned the gesture.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Darcy," she said.

"Please, its Will. You're Lizzie's sister, Mr. Darcy is much too formal. I'll let you get back to it, and I hope you enjoy working here Kitty,"

He left with a smile and headed to the elevator bank while Kitty Bennett returned to her folder.

Twenty minutes after he'd met Kitty in the lobby, Elizabeth, true to her word was leaning against his office doorframe, looking absolutely enamouring and wearing a cheeky grin on her face.

"Found you," she said, pulling Darcy's attention from his email and he couldn't help but grin back, her smile was infectious. He stood up from his desk and came over to the door, gesturing her inside. She stepped over the thresh hold and he leaned out the door.

"Phoebe," he said to his assistant, "Hold all my calls, Miss Bennett and I have an important meeting, I don't want to be interrupted,"

"Yes sir," the younger girl said with a nervous smile, and Darcy closed the door, shutting them away from the noisy outer office.

"You look lovely today," he said once his attention returned to her. She blushed a little but smiled.

"Thanks," She said, nervously twirling her hair. He smiled back at her, and then got down to business. Determined to finally have his say.

"So, there's a lot we need to talk about isn't there," he started.

"Yeah, I guess there is," she agreed, she stopped her hair twirling and straightened up a little.

"First, let me apologise, I've been such an ass all these years, you don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you and that kills me Elizabeth. I never wanted to hurt you, but I fear that I have," his expression was laden with guilt, which warmed Lizzie's heart, but she couldn't let him take all the blame, she certainly wasn't innocent in all this.

"My behaviour hasn't been the best either, I'm sorry too," she said, and smiled again. There was a long pause in which neither was sure what to say next, Darcy broke it.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning…" He said after the too long moment of silence. Lizzie didn't speak, afraid to interrupt him, lest their talk be put off again.

"Elizabeth," he said reaching out for her hand and pulling her closer to him as he leaned back against his desk. In this position his height dropped and their eyes met at the same level.

"When you first started working here, I realised very quickly that there was something more to you than just being one of my employees. You… intrigued me," he paused to smile at a memory, "At first I let myself play along with it, even though you were my employee and I knew it was totally wrong of me… I just couldn't stop. But everything changed, which was probably my own fault, I shouldn't have let it…"  
>"The benefit…" She interrupted, "What changed Darcy, why did you suddenly seem to hate me? What did I do to…"<p>

The intercom on his desk rang interrupting Elizabeth's sentence. Darcy turned around to the desk and jabbed at the answer button.

"What?" he growled.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Darcy" his assistant replied, somewhat timidly.

"I told you we were not to be disturbed!" he barked back.

"I know Mr. Darcy," she said "But there's a gentleman on line one, he says there's an emergency with your sister."

Darcy glanced quickly up at Elizabeth who'd taken a step closer at Phoebe's last words, she nodded quickly and Darcy snatched up the receiver.

"This is William Darcy," he said, and Elizabeth waited anxiously while Darcy listened to the call, his face paled and she took another step towards his desk so that they were only standing a foot apart.

"I'll be right there," he said hanging up.

Elizabeth searched his face questioningly and finally his lost eyes met hers.

"Georgiana…" he paused, "She's been in an accident. She's in the hospital."

He looked away again, and she could tell he was trying not to panic, but his hands were shaking, and Lizzie grabbed the one that wasn't grasping the desk in her own. He looked between their joined hands and her face, this was the closest they'd been since that night at her apartment, and just holding her hand comforted him for a moment.

"Come on," Lizzie urged, tugging him slightly towards the door, "I'll drive you to the hospital."

She led him from his office, grabbing his coat from the hook behind the door as they went.

"Wait here," she said, stopping at his assistant's desk, he nodded numbly and she dashed into her own office three doors down and grabbed her own coat and bag, fishing out her car keys as she hurried back to him. He hadn't moved. Phoebe was working, or pretending to work, at her desk, looking anxious that Darcy was standing over her.

Lizzie approached her and lent down to talk to her quietly.

"Mr. Darcy and I are going to be out of the office for the rest of the day, his sister has been taken to hospital. Please cancel all of Darcy's appointments for today, and tell Kate to do the same for me."

She didn't wait for a response before she grabbed Darcy's hand again and led him to the elevator, wanting to get to the hospital and Georgiana as soon as possible.

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><p><strong>Please review! =)<strong>


	19. Chapter 18

**HAPPY MONDAY!**

**On time again! I'm kind of impressed with myself, I was so sure putting myself on an update schedule would equal super procrastination for me. That being said, I must warn you that next week's update will more than likely be late, because it's Easter, and it's a four day weekend, and I am going camping! So there will be no internet (Shock horror! Not sure how some of my friends are going to survive it!). Anyway, I might take my laptop with me and do some writing, but even then, I won't be able to upload anything! *Begs forgiveness***

**None the less, enjoy chapter 18!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 18<strong>

The surgery waiting room was eerily quiet. While the rest of the hospital was noisy and bustling, the waiting room on the fourth floor, where Lizzie and Darcy had been deposited by a nurse, was practically silent, all it's occupants wearing forlorn faces and all but one, sitting still. This was the room where the uncertain were made to wait, the people with loved ones who were here by chance, not choice. And with the exception of Will Darcy, who had taken to pacing back and forth with restless worry, everyone was stationary. Lizzie watched him with concerned eyes as he walked the few meters, back and forth and back and forth. After several minutes he was receiving glares from most of the rooms other occupants and Lizzie spoke up.

"Darcy, " she said his name, a croak in her quiet voice. He looked up at her and she gestured him over to sit beside her, he looked like he might refuse but strode across to her and sat down. She reached out and took his hand to comfort him, squeezing it lightly, he gave her a meek smile before focusing his attention on the ground, after a few minutes his leg started to jiggle, and Lizzie knew getting him to sit still was fruitless, but she didn't blame him. And they waited.

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><p>"William Darcy?" A voice broke the silence, both Will and Lizzie shot up quickly from their seats as two men entered the room, one wearing a suit and the other in a police uniform.<p>

"Yes?" Darcy asked weakly, the man in the suit gestured for him to follow them out to the hall, and still grasping Lizzie's hand in his, he followed them out.

In the hall the suited man glanced at Elizabeth for a second, then their joined hands before he spoke.

"My name is Detective Bridges," the man in the suit said, "This is Officer Michaels," He gestured to the uniformed officer, "I've just come from the site of the accident,"

Darcy just nodded, unsure of what to say and the detective went on.

"To me, it appears the your sister's accident wasn't exactly, and accident," He said, "It looks like her car was forced off the road by another driver…" he paused because both Darcy and Lizzie had gasped at his words.

"Do you have any idea who would want to harm your sister?" Detective Bridges asked, to which Darcy and Lizzie both answered,

"Wickham!" Lizzie's voice was filled with frightened worry, and Darcy's unabridged anger, Lizzie rubbed her thumb along the back of the hand she held as he clenched her fingers.

"Wickham?" the detective asked, Darcy was still seething so Lizzie answered him.

"George Wickham," she said, "He's known Will and Georgiana all their lives, he attacked me last week, and Georgiana already has a restraining order against him from a previous altercation. He's, just not a very nice person."

Darcy almost scoffed, that was an understatement, but he held himself back as both the detective and the uniformed officer were writing things down in their notepads as she spoke.

"This true Mr. Darcy?" Detective Bridges asked, and Darcy affirmed with a nod.

"Witnesses say they saw a dark blue sedan speeding away from the accident site, we're looking into traffic cameras in the area to see if we can get a license plate, do you know if this," He consulted his notes, "Wickham owns a car like that?"

"He doesn't have a car," Lizzie said.

"Do you have any idea where we could find him?" He asked, to which both Darcy and Lizzie shook their heads.

"Alright, well I'll look into it. I'll be in touch, when things calm down a little. I hope that your sister is okay," he said, closing his notepad. As the two men walked away, Darcy shifted to lean against the wall. He rested his head back against the yellowing wallpaper with a sigh, and Lizzie came to stand in front of him. Their hands still joined, Lizzie didn't feel like she could let him go, and Darcy, as wrong as it may have been at this moment, was enjoying her touch too much.

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><p>After Detective Bridges left, Lizzie realized it was getting close to five, and Jane would be expecting her and Kitty home soon. So making sure that Darcy would be ok, Lizzie stepped out of the waiting room to make a few calls.<p>

"Bingley," Charlie greeted, when he picked up his office phone, Lizzie's first port of call.

"Charlie, it's Liz," She said,

"Lizzie! Is everything okay? Phoebe said that Georgiana was in the hospital but Darcy left his phone behind so I couldn't reach him! What happened?" He asked, his voice panicky. Being Darcy's best friend, Charles had known Georgie since she before she could crawl, Lizzie hushed him and explained the situation.

"It was a car accident, or not so much of an accident I guess, they're not sure yet, but they think she might have been run off the road."

"Heavens!" He exclaimed, "Who would do such a thing?"

"We're not sure, but the police are looking into it," Lizzie said, not sure how much to say about George Wickham. While she knew that Charles didn't know the full story, she was sure he knew more than Darcy thought he did. But she kept quiet for now.

"Listen, I'm staying at the hospital with Will," Lizzie said, "So I need to ask you a favour. Can you take Kitty home?" She asked, "I know you were meant to come over and see Jane tonight…"

"Say no more Lizzie, it's not a problem at all. You just stay with Darcy and make sure he's all right. If anything happens to Georgiana, he's going to need someone there to support him, and I know he'd want it to me you,"

"Charlie…" She groaned,

"No, no, I won't say anymore, it's not the right time, obviously. But I know that much to be true. Don't you worry about Kitty, I'll get her home safe and sound. You look after Darce,"

"I will, thanks Charlie." She said, and they ended the call. With her head still swimming over Charlie's comment she speed dialled Jane and listened to the ringing for a long minute before she finally answered.

"Hello?" She greeted, sounding out of breath.

"Janie, it's me," Lizzie said, rather pointlessly since Jane would have seen her name on the caller I.D.

"What's the matter Lizzie, you sound upset?" Whatever was playing on the television in the background was suddenly muted and Lizzie knew Jane was giving her, her undivided attention.

"I'm a bit worn down, I'm at the hospital. But don't worry, I'm fine, and Kitty is fine." She added on quickly before Jane could jump to conclusions.

"Who is it?" Jane asked, concern filling her voice.

"Georgiana," Lizzie supplied, "She was in a car accident, she's in surgery. I'm here with Darcy, and I don't think I'll be home anytime soon."

"Oh my goodness, is she alright?" Jane asked

"We don't know yet, but I'm going to stay here until I know some more, or Darcy doesn't need me…"

"Need you? Did you guys talk?" Jane asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"A little, but nowhere near enough. We'd hardly gotten past '_I'm Sorry'_ before we got the news about GiGi, I'm just trying to help, and I'm worried about GiGi too. She's my friend as well. So I'm staying."

"No, of course. I wouldn't expect anything less of you Lizzie," Jane replied.

"So, I've asked Charlie to bring Kitty home, seeing as I know you two have plans tonight. But I imagine I'll be very late, if I get home at all, so don't wait up for me."

"No problem Lizzie, I'll leave you a plate in the fridge in case you're hungry."

"Thanks," Lizzie said, "Oh, and Jane. Don't leave the apartment alone all right? And tell Kitty the same thing. We don't think this was entirely an accident and given everything that's happened with Wickham I don't want to take any chances."

"You think he did this to Georgiana on purpose?" Jane asked,

"I'm almost positive, so be extra careful Jane. I can't have anything happening to you as well."

"You be safe too Lizzie, I love you,"

"Love you too Jane, bye."

She hung up and pocketed her phone again, taking a few moment to gather herself before going back to Darcy she grabbed two bottles of water from the vending machine in the reception area before re-entering the silent waiting room and taking her seat beside Will. He took the bottle of water from her appreciatively, but didn't take more than two sips before he took to fiddling with the bottle cap and picking nervously as the label. Lizzie didn't comment, but rested a hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

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><p>It was another couple of hours of waiting before Georgiana's doctor reappeared in the waiting room. Darcy was sitting in silent contemplation, praying for the best, and Lizzie had fallen asleep resting on his shoulder.<p>

"Mr. Darcy?" The doctor spoke, drawing his attention. His head shot up at the sound of his name rousing Lizzie awake.

"Yes?" He croaked,

"She's fine," he said, which caused Darcy to finally relax his tense body, "She's still asleep, I'm going to keep her sedated overnight. She has a lot of injuries, and it's going to take a while for her to recover," The doctor explained. He started to go through the injuries Georgiana had suffered but didn't get very far before Darcy interrupted.

"Can we see her?" Darcy asked,

"Of course," he said, stopping his explanation, "Follow me."

The doctor led them through a few corridors across to the other side of the ward,

"She'll stay in ICU overnight and we'll make a decision about moving her to another room in the morning," the doctor said when they arrived outside the large double doors that led to intensive care. When they arrived outside Georgiana's room Darcy finally let go of Lizzie's hand and rushed inside to his sister's bedside. Taking up the hand that wasn't wrapped in a cast.

Lizzie and the doctor followed him in and stood by the end of her bed,

"So what's wrong with her, Doctor?" Lizzie asked, now that Darcy could see that Georgiana was, in a sense, all right, he seemed a lot more receptive to listening, but Elizabeth made sure she paid extra attention just in case she had to repeat anything later on.

"She has several broken bones, her left arm and right leg as you can see are in plaster, but she also has some cracked and broken ribs. One of her ribs caused a minor puncture to her lung, which I had to repair. She has a head injury, but it appears to be minor, but we won't know for sure until she wakes up. There's no significant swelling of the brain or fluid build up in the cranial cavity though, which is a good sign. The rest of her injuries are somewhat superficial, lots of bruises and some lacerations. She's going to have a rough road, but I'm confidant that she can make a full recovery."

Even though the doctor assured him that Georgiana's unconsciousness was medically induced and she wouldn't be waking up any time soon, Darcy wouldn't leave his sister's bedside that night, and for Lizzie, that meant she couldn't possibly leave either. She'd tried to convince him to let her take him home to change and eat, but he was adamant he wasn't leaving until Georgie was awake.

She felt herself dozing on and off in the armchair by the window in Georgiana's private room, Darcy was still sat in the chair by her beside, holding her good hand.

"You don't have to stay Lizzie," his voice croaked, sometime in the early hours of the morning. She straightened herself up in her chair and gave him a sleepy smile.

"Of course I do," she replied, "Not only is GiGi one of my best friends, but someone has to make sure you're okay as well. It's the least I can do Will."

He didn't say anything more, but he stared at her for a good long moment across the darkened room. In the dim lighting and from this distance Lizzie couldn't read any meaning in his eyes or his expression, so she simply continued to smile gently at him and settled back in her chair. Eventually he turned away from her again, returning his gaze to Georgiana's sleeping face. She must have dozed of again, pondering over thoughts of Darcy, because the next thing she knew it was morning and she was woken by a nurse bustling in to check Georigana's machines. Darcy, while still seated in the chair by his sister's bed, was slumped forward, having fallen asleep at some point in the night, his hand still grasping Georgiana's, and his upper body resting on the mattress. It was a miracle he hadn't fallen out of his chair.

"The doctor won't be in for his rounds until eight," The nurse whispered, "He can't be comfortable like that. You should try and get him home to rest." Lizzie checked her watch, it was only five in the morning.

"Believe me, I tried," Lizzie whispered back, stretching the kinks out of her back as she stood, her neck ached from sleeping in that chair. She could only imagine the state Darcy would be in when he woke, but somehow she doubted he'd notice too much.

Instead of rousing Darcy and trying again what she knew would be a fruitless effort in convincing him to go home Lizzie went in search of coffee. When she got back to Georgiana's room, Darcy was awake, silently staring at his sister's limp form in the bed.

"Hey," Lizzie whispered, Darcy's head whipped around to face her.

"Lizzie!" He murmured, "I thought you'd left!"

"Went to get coffee," she replied, holding out a warm styrofoam cup to him and stepping towards the bed, he took it gratefully and sipped the warm liquid glancing back at Georgiana for a moment before giving Lizzie his attention.

"Thank you for staying," he said.

"You're welcome, the nurse said that Doctor Murray won't be here until eight," she said, resting her weight on the arm of the other bedside chair.

"I'm going to wait," he said.

"I figured, I guess I'll go and hold down the fort with Charlie at work then?" She asked.

"I really appreciate it," he said, "Just, tell Phoebe to cancel all my appointments for now, I'll…"

"I'll take care of it, don't worry," she interrupted him, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. "You call me if you need anything?"

"I will, thanks Lizzie," he squeezed back and she gave him a smile before collecting her purse.

"I'll see you later," she said as she left, heading home to change and get Kitty before heading into the office.

With Darcy out for an unforseen amount of time, she, and especially Charlie would have to pull some extra weight, but as long as Georgie was unwell she knew Darcy would need the extra help, and she was glad she was able to give it to him. She only wished they'd managed to talk out the rest of their situation, because now she didn't know where to draw the line. Could she go back to the hospital, spend the night hours looking after him? Was it inappropriate for her to call him, text him, ask if he was okay? Then she remembered what Charlie had said last night. Darcy's phone was still at the office. Well, that wouldn't do. Appropriate or not, Lizzie knew she wouldn't be able to stay uninformed about Georgiana's condition, so getting Darcy's phone back to him was going to be her first job when she got into the office.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. As always, please inform any mistakes. I've only had enough time to read over this once, and I will always correct them if you just tell me what horrifying travesty I've committed! =P other than that, I hope y'all have a good week and please, leave me a review! Because I love them, and it makes me love you, and maybe if I get enough, I'll share my Smores with you when I get back from my camping trip! (No, usually we don't have Smores in Australia, but I did live in America for a while, and so I feel I must share the deliciousness with my less fortunate friends!) =P<strong>


	20. Chapter 19

**Well, it's a bit shorter than usual, BUT IT'S ON TIME! I managed to write this before going away, so you don't have to wait on an update after all! **

**Camping was awesome, despite the car troubles we had the day before leaving! And the Smores were delicious, especially after three rounds of the Harry Potter drinking game, Goblet of Fire!**

**Thanks as always to my awesome regular reviewers, and also, thanks to some new readers who reviewed last week. You all brought smiles to my face.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 19<strong>

A week, well, a working week, that's how long it had been since she'd last seen Darcy, despite her best efforts. But she hoped to change that today. The office without Darcy had been so much more hectic than she'd anticipated, but not wanting to concern him, or make him come in, she and Charlie had decided not to worry Darcy by saying anything. So, she hadn't been able to get back to the hospital, until today.

On Tuesday, the first thing she'd done after arriving at Darcy Enterprises was make a beeline for Will's office, retrieving his phone from his top desk drawer, she'd been half way back to the elevators to leave and drop it off when Charles had stepped off one of them.

"Lizzie! Thank goodness you're here! I need you to come to the Peterman meeting with me! I couldn't reschedule it, and you know more about their account than I do!"

"I've got to run back to the hospital Charlie," she said,

"Lizzie, please. It's the only meeting I couldn't change today. Please, I need you!" His face was pleading with her, she knew he wouldn't ask if he didn't need her and she did know more about Marshall Peterman and his business than Charlie did.

"Okay, alright, I'll take Darcy his phone after," She'd relented, following Charlie to the meeting room where Phoebe was getting the coffee cart ready.

But she hadn't managed to get out of the office before lunchtime, which she'd worked straight through, and knowing she'd be busy all afternoon, had instead sealed Darcy's phone in a big manila envelope and send it to the hospital with a bike messenger. He texted her at four to say thankyou and tell her that Georgiana was still sedated. The rest of the day he'd been silent.

On Wednesday he'd called her at the office at ten to say that Georgiana was awake now, but couldn't recall anything about the accident. Yet again their conversation had been cut short when Kate had come bustling in, in a flurry and Lizzie had had to hang up to help her.

On Thursday they'd finally had a proper conversation, on the phone again this time, while Lizzie stole a few moments alone hiding behind her desk between meetings. They'd talked about Georgiana and her recovery the whole time, never touching on the subject of their relationship, but Lizzie could sense the bridge mending itself in every word.

So now, it was Friday and Lizzie was determined to leave the office after lunch and go to the hospital and keep Georgiana company, because she knew that Darcy had to go to a meeting today for one of his charity side projects. She'd have gone for him if she could have, but it was one of his personal endeavours, so she didn't know enough about it to be of any help.

* * *

><p>At the hospital she got Georgiana's new, outside of the ICU, room number, and took the elevator to the second floor. Georgiana was lying in bed, her eyes closed when Lizzie entered the room, and she immediately quieted her steps and began to tiptoe across the room, but Georgiana's eyes flew open about a second later.<p>

"Lizzie!" she exclaimed.

"Gigi, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Lizzie said quietly,

"Oh, no you didn't!" Georgiana assured her, "I was just resting my eyes, listening," she said, removing a small ear bud from the ear opposite Lizzie.

"I come bearing presents," Lizzie smiled, placing the flower arrangement she'd bought on the bedside table and holding up a small white paper bag.

"Brownies," she grinned, "From that little place we always go to on the river,"

Georgiana moaned, "You're amazing!" she laughed, taking the brownie Lizzie offered her. She bit into it with another moan.

"This is just what I needed, thanks Lizzie,"

"You're welcome," Lizzie smiled and took up the seat beside her bed.

"Will isn't here," Georgie said, "He had to go to a meeting, you missed him."

"I know, I came to keep you company. I know he doesn't want you to be left alone here. I'm sure this is the first time he's properly left your bedside all week."

"Just about," Georgie agreed, groaning as she laughed, lightly holding a hand to her side, "Ow."

"Oh, sorry, I should make you laugh," Lizzie smiled.

"No, probably not," she agreed, "But thank you for coming, and thanks for looking out for Will. He told me you stayed with him the first night after the accident,"

"It was no problem Georgie, and I'm all yours for the rest of the day,"

"Fantastic, I need some girl time, Will's been hovering around me like a lost puppy all week. I know he means well, but it's been a little frustrating,"

"He's just worried for you,"

"I know, and I wouldn't expect anything less of him, but it's nice to have some time with you," she smiled.

They spent the rest of the afternoon together talking about anything but her accident and the injuries she was going to have to overcome, they devoured the brownies and tried not to laugh too hard because of Georgie's tender ribs.

* * *

><p>It was nearing four o'clock when Darcy returned, Lizzie thought he looked tired, and she knew he probably hadn't slept much this past week. However, he still looked as handsome as ever, and she tried not to blush as she realised where her thoughts were headed.<p>

"Elizabeth!" He exclaimed, surprised to see her there, "Hi."

"Hey Darcy," she said with a smiled, "I thought I'd come and keep Gigi company while you were at your meeting,"

"That's really nice of you, thanks," he said, they stood facing each other, about a meter apart, she bit her lip and he shuffled from one foot to another. In the week they'd been apart, some of the awkwardness had naturally returned, despite their phone conversations. Georgiana watched them knowingly, unable to hide the smirk on her face.

"It was no problem, your sister is always terrific company," Lizzie said, after a long silence.

"I'm sure she welcomed the change from my constant presence," he joked, taking up his spot by her bed.

"Like a breath of fresh air," Georgiana teased him.

The three of them spent the next hour in pleasant, if not slightly halting for Lizzie and Darcy, conversation until Doctor Murray entered the room.

"How are you feeling this afternoon Miss Darcy?" He asked, flipping through the details on her chart briefly.

"Much better," Georgiana said with a smile.

"That's good to hear, I bet you're anxious to get home right?" He asked,

"Just a little," she started.

"Is that a possibility?" Darcy interrupted anxiously, the doctor paused and consulted a machine by her bed for a moment before he nodded.

"Yes, if Georgiana's condition remains the same or sees any improvement overnight I think she'd be able to go home tomorrow, but she would still be on constant bed rest," he added.

"That's great!" Lizzie exclaimed, "I bet you can't wait to be in your own room again Gigi."

Doctor Murray smiled, "I think you'll recover a lot better in your own environment," then he turned to Darcy, "She'll still require constant care, 24/7 assistance, she's still not going to be able to do much on her own."

Will frowned, he knew he had to go back to work soon, he'd neglected the company long enough, there was no way he could be at home 24/7 for the next two months. And there were things Georgie would need that he couldn't help her with, showering and dressing and such. He knew she'd be too embarrassed for him to do those things for her.

"I guess we could look into a home nurse…" He trailed off as Georgiana's face flushed. She was thinking the same things as her brother, but the thought of a stranger being in such intimate contact with her made her uncomfortable. Even though she knew there weren't many other options.

"Yeah," she said quietly, staring at her blanket.

"I'm sorry Georgie, I know it's not ideal, but there's not really anything else I can do. Unless you want Aunt Catherin…"

"NO!" She cried, as much as she could without hurting her ribs.

"I'll help!" They were interrupted when Lizzie spoke up unexpectedly.

"Sorry," She apologized, "I just, I mean, I can help. I don't want to intrude…"

"Elizabeth…" Darcy started, there was nothing he wanted more than to have Lizzie in his house, but he hated to think she was being forced there out of obligation. But suddenly, it was beyond his control and he was watching the situation roll out before his eyes.

"Oh would you Lizzie?" Georgiana asked, her tone much more upbeat.

"Of course!" She said, "If you'd be comfortable with that,"

"More than I would otherwise, but if it's too much to ask of you…"

"You didn't ask, I offered." Lizzie reminded her.

"Well, if that's settled, I see no reason you can't be discharged tomorrow then, I'll get the discharge papers ready and if you check out after rounds tomorrow, you can head home." Doctor Murray said, "I'll see you all in the morning."

The three sat and talked, or rather, Lizzie and Darcy avoided eye contact and spoke to Georgiana, for another hour until an orderly brought Georgiana's dinner in, which she ate with her good hand while Darcy and Lizzie watched. After she ate, she fell asleep as they watched re-runs of Family Ties, and once visiting hours ended the silent pair, who still didn't seem to be able to look at each other, gathered their things to head home.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry if I was presumptuous," Lizzie said, very quietly, once they were alone in the elevator.<p>

"No, not at all," he assured her, "I can't thank you enough really, I mean, Georgiana, she's, not…"

"She's not great with strangers, I know." Lizzie finished his sentence, "I mean, that's why I offered, but I didn't really think about what it… means…" she trailed off.

"Like, staying with us…" he said, the elevator doors opened onto the lobby and they stepped out together, Darcy led her over to a small alcove out of the way.

"Yes, like staying with you. I'm sorry, I didn't think about it."

Darcy smiled, brushed his hand down her arm reassuringly. Now that they were alone, the awkwardness was dissipating and Darcy suddenly felt a lot happier than he had in days.

"It's okay, honestly." He said, and she blushed as his hand lingered on her fingertips. He couldn't help touching her. Lizzie stared at him for a long moment, her thoughts muddled again. Every time this tender side of Darcy reared its head she got lost again. Didn't know what to think about him, or them, or what she wanted. She shoved the baffling thoughts aside for the moment.

"You need a ride home?" she asked, knowing his car had been written off in the accident.

"I can get a taxi," he said.

"I can drive you, honestly, I mean, if I'm moving in to help with Georgie, I should probably know where you live right?" she teased, feeling lighter.

"Excellent point Lizzie!" He laughed, "Alright, lead the way mi'lady,"

Lizzie laughed at his poncy bow and stepped off to lead him to where she'd parked her car, muttering under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked, not quite catching the words she uttered as she stepped away.

"I called you a dork," She called back over her shoulder, and Darcy laughed. Really laughed, for the first time all week, since Georgie had been in the accident, he full on laughed. Then he jogged to catch up with her, grabbing a hold of her hand in his when he caught up to her, they smiled together, and Lizzie laughed with him as they left the hospital and crossed the moonlit car park.

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><p><strong>Please review! =)<strong>


	21. Chapter 20

**Happy monday! No big authors note this time around, just one clarification. A few reviewers expressed concern over the end of the last chapter, feeling that it was rather ominous. That was totally accidental! By using the phrase 'dark car park' I only meant to portray the fact that it was now night time. I've since changed it to 'moonlit car park', just to clear things up!**

**Enjoy! And remember to review!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 20<strong>

"Holy crap!"

Darcy chuckled.

"You actually live here?" Lizzie asked, looking up at Darcy's townhouse through the windscreen, and not even bothering to cover up her expletives.

"Um, yes?" Darcy answered with a grin.

"Holy crap!" She said again.

"If I'd known that showing you my house was enough to impress you, I would have done it years ago," he teased, and she threw an icy glare at him.

"Joking," he chuckled, and her expression changed for a split seconde to a grin before slipping back to its neutral state. She leaned back in her seat, and continued to peer up at his townhouse.

"I gotta tell you, I could get used to living in a house like this Darcy. I might not be able to leave. How would you feel about swapping apartments?" She teased.

"Fat chance," he grinned, letting him self envision a future where Lizzie did stay at his house forever. Her innocent teasing had given him a whole world of other ideas.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the hospital then?" Lizzie asked, "Just let me know when to come and get you…"

"Sure,"

"I mean, I could pick you up in the morning, if you want?"

"Sure," he repeated, not bothering to hide his smile, but stopping himself from saying what he really wanted to say, which was, '_or you could just stay all night.'_ No, it was much too soon for that. Even though, he supposed, she'd be doing exactly that tomorrow. He suppressed the smile that wanted to escape.

"Thanks for the lift Elizabeth, I'll see you in the morning," he said instead, opening the passenger door.

"See you tomorrow," she replied, watching until he disappeared inside his huge house before she turned around and went back to her own apartment.

* * *

><p>"I'm in big trouble!" Lizzie yelled the moment she entered her apartment, she bolted the door and went into the living room. Jane wasn't there, but Lizzie could see her bedroom door was open, and Kitty stood in the kitchen with a spoon in her mouth and an open tub of ice cream on the counter that separated the two rooms.<p>

"What have you done now?" She asked, through a mouthful of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Jane came in then, a serene smile on her face.

"Oh nothing, just volunteered to _LIVE_ with Will Darcy while his sister recovers…"

"What?" Both of her sisters said in unison, Jane's expression was priceless, Lizzie was sure she'd never seen her so shocked, and she could tell that Kitty was about to subside into a fit of laughter.

"It wasn't intentional!" Lizzie cried, "I didn't even think about what it would mean when I offered. I was just thinking about helping Georgiana."

"Of course you were," Jane said sympathetically,

"Yeah, of _course _you were," Kitty repeated, but her tone was full of mirthless teasing. Then the giggles hit.

Lizzie fell back into the throw pillows and picked up the one that looked like an owl, a present from their mother, and hugged it to her chest. After a few minutes of glaring at her, Kitty stopped laughing, but she was short of breath when she said,

"Just admit that you're in love with him!"

"How about you, just bring me the damn ice cream!" Lizzie retorted holding out a hand demandingly. Kitty, still chuckling, grabbed some fresh spoons and came over to the couch. Handing Lizzie the tub she sat up on the coffee table and crossed her legs underneath her.

Jane declined the spoon Kitty held out to her and took to stroking Lizzie's knee.

"So what are you going to do?" She asked anxiously.

"Yeah, what _are _you going to do?" Kitty repeated again teasingly, this time with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Lizzie couldn't help but laugh. Kitty was very good at making her laugh, she wished she'd realised that sooner, since it was only recently that Lizzie had credited her little sister with her own personality, instead of just being Lydia's sidekick.

"Get you mind out of the gutter Kitty!" Jane admonished, slapping her lightly on the leg, breaking Lizzie's private moment of seriousness.

"Hey! No fair, I know you were thinking it too!" Kitty shot back with a grin, "It's not like they haven't done it before anyway!"

"Kit!" Jane cried,

"Please, don't remind me, doing 'it before' is exactly how I got into this situation,"

"Oh puh-lease! You _loved _it!" Kitty said, "And don't even try to lie to me, you _looooooove _him!"

"Stop teasing her Kitty," Jane interjected, "We can't just make jokes about this situation, it's not all fun and games. Will is Lizzie's boss, she can't just act impulsively, she has to be mature about it."

"Boring," Kitty said, taking another spoon of ice cream with a wink at Lizzie who smiled back.

"She's right though," she said, "I can't be stupid about it. He is my boss. If I get into anything with Darcy then I'm _in it_. You know? There's nothing casual about it."

"Nothing about you is casual Lizzie, and nothing about your feelings for Darcy has been or will ever be casual." Kitty said, suddenly sounding very grown up. Jane and Lizzie both stared at her, slightly shocked.

"What?" She asked, "Just because I think this is _hilarious, _doesn't mean I don't know how serious it is. Give me some credit!"

"She's right too," Lizzie said to Jane with a laugh, "I don't really know what I feel for Darcy, but I know it's more than casual… I just need to figure it out. Ugh! Why is this so hard?"

She hid her face behind the pillow and Jane patted her shoulder.

"Everything was so easy for you Jane, with Charlie," She said, the pillow muffling her voice, "Why can't it be that easy for me?"

"It would have been," she replied, "If you and Darcy hadn't acted so stupidly three years ago,"

"Hey, that was not my fault!" Lizzie cried, dropping the pillow, "He started it, he…" she stopped short, "Actually, I don't even know what happened. We never quite got to that part."

"Well, you're going to be living with him now." Kitty said, "You'll have plenty of opportunity to work things out."

"Mmm," Lizzie contemplated that for a moment,

"But I still think you should sleep with him," Kitty added, and this time they all fell into laughter.

* * *

><p>The next morning Lizzie was parked outside the Darcy townhouse, staring up at it again in wonder, was it just her imagination, but had it actually grown bigger overnight?<p>

She took a few deep breaths to gather her nerves, then locked her car and ran up the front steps, hitting the bell before she could hesitate again.

It was barely a few seconds before the door swung open to reveal Darcy, looking much more revived that he had last night, and very debonair in his casual blue jeans and green polo shirt that brought out the flecks of green in his warm brown eyes. He'd shaved too since last night, and his previously stubbled jaw looked smooth and soft.

"Hey," he said, pulling Lizzie out of her daydreams just as she began to contemplate his dazzling smile.

"Hi," she replied, he stood back and held the door for her to step inside. And when she did, she felt her jaw drop again.

"Darcy, this place is amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Let me show you to the guest room," he continued, leading her up the stairs.

On the landing he led Lizzie down to the bedrooms, past several doors to the end of the hall. He opened the last door on the right into the guest room and Lizzie looked around. The room was beautiful, rather empty and devoid of knickknacks as you'd expect of a guest bedroom, but it was bright and airy, decorated in whites and greens. The large French doors opened out onto a tiny balcony overhanging the courtyard below, the sheer white curtains billowed in the slight breeze.

"It's lovely, thanks Will," she said, quietly, suddenly feeling very unsure of her self.

"You're welcome," he said back, matching her volume. She put her bag down by the end of the bed and turned to face him.

"Uh, the bathroom is right next door," he said, gesturing backwards to the door. Lizzie followed him back to the hall, "And Georgiana's room is at the other end of the hall." He paused taking a breath and blowing it out slowly, "And, uh, that's my room right there," He murmured, gesturing to the door opposite her new room.

"Right," she said, "Great, thanks…" she trailed off, she was pretty sure they were both thinking about the implications of being so close to one another. About what had happened last time they'd roomed next to each other. Darcy cleared his throat then, and Lizzie snapped back to attention, she wasn't even sure how long they'd been standing there.

"Shall we head over to the hospital then?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course, let's go. Time to bring Georgie home!" he said breaking into a smile and turning back towards the stairs. Lizzie followed behind him, trying to shove thoughts of Darcy's naked body out of her mind.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, they were back from the hospital and Elizabeth was up in Georgiana's room, the patient sat propped up in bed by mounds of pillows and watched curiously as Lizzie was nervously making her way around the room tidying things that didn't need tidying.<p>

"Lizzie," Georgiana called her attention after several minutes of silence had passed, Elizabeth turned to face her friend and crossed the few paces across the room to her bed. She sat on the edge and gave the younger girl a smile.

"Do you need anything?" she asked,

"No, I have everything I need," she replied, "And then some," she added with a giggle.

"No, I just wanted to say thank you again Lizzie, it means so much to me that you're here."

"You don't need to thank me GiGi, I'm doing what anyone else would do,"

"It's very sweet that you think that," Georigana retorted, and Lizzie grinned. She didn't actually think that. In fact, Lizzie was almost certain that she was the _only _person in the world who would volunteer to be their bosses live in nurse. Especially given the pseudo relationship that they had going on. She didn't say this to Georgiana though, the last thing she wanted was for her friend to feel like she was an imposition, and so Lizzie let the conversation drop.

"Lizzie, what about your work?" Georgiana asked after a moment, at this Lizzie sighed. It was a thought that had occurred to her several times over the past twenty four hours, and a question she didn't have all the answers for.

"Well, lets just say, it's a good thing that I'm doing this as a favour for my boss isn't it?" Lizzie teased and Georgiana smiled. They both looked up with a shock as they heard a deep chuckling coming from the doorway to see Darcy standing their, his long lean body leaning up against the doorframe.

"I assure you both, Elizabeth's job is in no danger," he said with a smile, "It is after all, your quietest time of year, isn't it Elizabeth?" he asked, to which she nodded her agreement.

"He's right GiGi, the months following the benefit are very quiet for me. Mostly I just help out with other people's projects and maintain relationships with the clients. Which is something I can do from home." She smiled and gave Georgiana's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Across the room, Darcy felt his body clench up as a shot ran through him at Lizzie's calling his house her 'home', it left him feeling all warm inside and he had to take a moment to recover himself before he could move, and reveal his real intention in coming up to Georgiana's room.

"I've brought you some dinner Georgie," he said, turning around her picked up the TV Tray he'd placed on the side table outside her bedroom door. He carried it across the room and arranged it on her lap.

"Thanks Will," she said and inspected the meal, it was her favourite. Steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables, all slathered in rich gravy. Back at Pemberley their housekeeper used to make this for them all the time and it made Georgiana feel like home. "And you've cut it all up into bite size pieces for me," she giggled, "How thoughtful… and how depressing for me!" she added with another laugh. Lizzie was holding back a giggle of her own, knowing it must be so frustrating for Georgiana to have no use of her left arm.

"I've made some for us too Lizzie, did you want me to bring it up, or will you come down?" Darcy asked, the end of his sentence tailing of hesitantly. Lizzie was hesitant herself, of two things. Firstly, leaving Georgiana alone in her room, and secondly, of being alone with Darcy. In his house. For dinner…

Georgiana however, was too quick for them both.

"She'll go down with you Will," she answered for her.

"Are you sure Georgie?" Lizzie asked.

"Of course I'm sure," she replied, spearing a piece of meat with her fork, "Not that I don't' appreciate your help Lizzie, but I'd like some alone time, and you need some grown up time, away from the invalid." She popped the food in her mouth and chewed, savouring her first meal out of the hospital with glee.

"Now get out!" she cried, still chewing. Her brother frowned at her manners but didn't say anything and Georgiana shot him an innocent grin.

"Alright, but you call if you need anything!" Lizzie demanded, after Georgiana had nodded her agreement to that, Lizzie and Darcy left the room and headed downstairs. Leaving Georgiana alone to enjoy her meal, and commend her self on her matchmaking skills. She may have been restricted to her bed, but as long as Lizzie was here, she was going to do everything in her power to push her brother and her stubborn friend together.

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><p><strong>Reviews make me happy! =)<strong>


	22. Chapter 21

**Well, here's the update! Happy Monday everyone! **

**In all honesty, I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. I wrote it out almost two weeks ago on a roll intending to come back and revise it, but I've been so busy that I got too detached from it and now it's update day so it's too late. Le sigh. The next few weeks are going to be insane for me, but I will endeavour to get the updates out on time. But please don't hurt me if I don't. Next weeks all important chapter will be fine, but the weeks following will be a little harder because nothing's been written for them yet! **

**Anyway, enough from me, I'll let you get to it. Please review, there haven't been as many lately, so I hope the story isn't slipping =S **

**CHAPTER 21**

The start of dinner was a relatively silent affair, both Lizzie and Darcy were very focused on their plates, occasionally casting surreptitious glances at each other.

"This is wonderful," Lizzie said quietly, about half way through her plate. Darcy gave her a smile.

"Thanks, it's an old favourite. It reminds me of being home at Pemberley," he responded.

"Do you miss it?" she asked, trying to uphold the conversation. She wanted them to be able to talk comfortably, even if they still hadn't established a direction for their relationship yet.

"Immensely," he answered immediately, "You would like it there Elizabeth, the house itself is grand, but I should think you'd appreciate the grounds more than most,"

"Oh, and why do you say that?" She asked with a laugh.

"I'm not ignorant to your love of the outdoors Lizzie," he teased back, "You grew up in the country too, didn't you?"

"I did, but I would hardly compare my upbringing to yours,"

"Maybe not," he agreed, "But I think you would feel quite at home there," in his head, he though 'hope' instead of 'think', but his meaning was obvious and Lizzie flushed slightly.

"When Georgiana is well enough to travel, I'd like to take her out for a week or so, if you were so inclined,"

"I think the escape to the country would do her recovery very well," she answered, "I could not deny her that, if she still requires my assistance,"

She returned the smile that he was casting at her, and returned to her plate.

"I don't want you to worry about work either Elizabeth," he said a few moments later.

"Your job is safe, I wouldn't dream of replacing you, even if you weren't doing this for my sister."

"Thanks," she murmured, "I mean, most of what I need to do can be done from here," she continued.

"You're more than welcome to set yourself up anywhere you would like," he said, "And I don't want you to think you'll be left alone to care for Georgiana, I'll be here as much as I can, so you can still have your own time. If you need to go to the office, then I'll make sure I'm here, we'll work it out together," he assured her, and she smiled.

"I'm sure we won't face many difficulties. Your dedication to your sister is obvious, I only hope I do it justice."

"I can see how much you care for her Lizzie," he said, brushing her hand with his own. She glanced down at his motion and he pulled his hand back, and began collecting items from the table to clean up. Without exchanging any more words Lizzie joined him in clearing the table.

"I'll clean up the kitchen," Darcy said when she'd placed her plate by the sink, "You go up if you like,

She hesitated a moment, feeling like she should pitch in and help, but also needing a few moments to think and clear her head.

"I'll go and help Georgiana get ready for bed then, thanks for dinner," she said, and then disappeared from the room.

Upstairs Lizzie helped Georgiana to the bathroom and helped her get ready for bed. She needed help changing into a clean nightgown and getting her toothbrush ready as she only had one hand. Then Lizzie tucked her in, it was still quiet early, only about eight o'clock, but Georgie insisted she was exhausted and settled in for sleep.

Half an hour after she'd ascended the stairs, Lizzie took the dinner tray back down to the kitchen, but Darcy wasn't there. She cleaned up the plate and put the tray aside then went looking for the man. As she approached the closed door to his study she heard his muffled voice, he was on the phone. Deciding not to interrupt she went back up stairs to her room, brushing her teeth on the way, then shutting herself in the guest bedroom. She changed into her pyjamas to get comfortable and then pulled out a book to read until she got tired enough to sleep. At nine thirty she heard movement outside in the hall, and looked over to her closed door, expecting Darcy to knock on it. But he didn't, she heard his own door click shut and tired to turn her attention back to her book, but she was too distracted. Distracted by how close she knew Darcy was right now, just across the hall, was he getting ready for bed?

She found herself wondering how he slept. Did he wear pyjamas? Sleep pants or boxers? Or did he sleep naked? Some of her past boyfriends had always slept in the nude. Lizzie never felt comfortable enough to do that, unless there was a reason to of course. She felt herself blush remembering the _last _reason she'd slept naked. The very man in question was right across the hall! Realising she'd never be able to focus on her book now she marked her page and put it on the bedside table, she turned off the light and settled into the comfortable bed to wait for sleep.

It didn't come.

After lying awake for several hours she threw back the covers in frustration. Her mind had been a livewire of thoughts ever since Darcy had closed his bedroom door, too bad she still hadn't managed to come up with any conclusions about him. Although after three hours of thinking of nothing else _but _William Darcy, Lizzie was sure of one thing. This was not going to go away, her feelings were not going to stop, and she also realised, they were continuing to grow. She decided that next time they were alone together, she was going to broach the subject of their relationship. She desperately wanted to know what had happened three years ago to change their friendly bantering relationship, which she was sure was progressing towards a romance, to one of silent disdain! For now though, she was going to go down to the kitchen and make some herbal tea, in the hopes it would relax her.

A short while later, Lizzie sat in the kitchen and nursed her tea while she contemplated her situation, again. Surrounded by this house, these things and everything that screamed William Darcy at her, she wasn't sure if it was making things clearer or fuzzier. Certainly today she had seen more of her boss than she'd ever known. More, she expected, than most people knew of him. By looking around this place, and seeing the reverence in which he treated it, how perfectly everything seemed to fit together, Lizzie could tell that his house was Darcy's temple. His retreat, and she felt a little warm and gooey inside at having been invited into it. This house, while grand and certainly emanating the status of wealth, was homely and warm. It was inviting, and while she could see that clearly, this was a man's home, the man was clearly one of a kind, and caring nature, who nurtured his sister. For the first time in their acquaintance, Lizzie saw that Darcy was a family man.

"Can't sleep?" A husky voice broke her reverie and she looked up to see Darcy standing in the kitchen archway. Lizzie shook her head in reply and Darcy crossed the room, taking up the seat beside her at the square table, occupying one of the three remaining chairs.

"Nor could I," he admitted with a smile. He looked sleepy, but his ruffled hair indicated that he'd been tossing and turning for some time. Lizzie noted that he was wearing soft flannel sleep pants, they were navy blue and sat low on his hips. He wore an old grey t-shirt as well, but it looked crisper, as if he'd just thrown it on to come downstairs. She blushed at herself as she looked down at her own flannel pyjamas. Flannel pants as well, a light yellow colour decorated with colourful cupcakes and cherries! There was a matching tank top, the same yellow, with a big cupcake on the front. She crossed her arms self-consciously. '_At least I'm still wearing my sports bra' _she thought.

Upstairs, Darcy had been lying awake for hours, tossing one way then the other, but unable to find comfort and drift to sleep. He knew why, of course, after all he'd had trouble sleeping these past weeks since the benefit. It was almost, he thought, as if once he'd had Lizzie in his arms, he'd never sleep the same without her. He should have known that having her in such close proximity to his bed would be more of a hindrance than a help to his situation. He desperately wanted to cross the hall and climb into her bed. Or to bring her back to his own, because this was, after all, where he knew she belonged. Now that she was here, would he be able to let her leave?

This was their home. Or at least it was supposed to be. Supposed to be their home, their room, and their bed! He'd been such an idiot, for three whole years, thinking he could forget about her, just be her boss. He was stupidly in love with that stubborn woman, and now he didn't know how to get her to see that. Giving up on sleep, he tossed off the sheet that covered him and pulled on a t-shirt, just in case, now that he wasn't alone in the house '_The way it should be,' _he thought. Out in the hallway, he hesitated a moment outside her closed door. He had to mentally chide himself for even considering opening that door. Instead he moved down the hall and checked in on Georgiana before descending the stairs. He'd intended to retreat to his study or the sitting room, but he saw the soft glowing light coming from the kitchen, and went there instead. And there she was, sitting at the breakfast table toying with the mug in her small hands. He couldn't resist joining her, and so he had.

Now, she took a sip of her tea as he watched her with sleepy eyes, she decided that he looked good, ruffled with sleep. His jaw was spotted with stubble, and in the dim light of the kitchen, for Lizzie had only turned on a lamp or two, the face that she had usually thought so harsh, looked much softer. Perhaps it was seeing him in his element, but she felt as if this man was the truer impression of Darcy than the one he showed when he was at work. They sat in, what was surprisingly, comfortable silence for a few minutes, Lizzie sipping her tea and Darcy fingering the edge of the placemat that sat before him. It was Lizzie who finally found the courage to breach the silence.

"I was hoping we could finish that conversation we started last week," she said, only glancing at him. He stopped playing with the placemat and angled himself slightly more towards her.

"Me too," he admitted, "I've been hesitant to bring it up. I didn't want to upset anything once you were staying here,"

"Nor did I, but I think it's important Darcy," she said, "I feel like there this massive block between us, and there's this lingering awkwardness that just won't go away. We said we'd talk out our situation, I don't see why we should wait."

Darcy took in what she said, but was still hesitant to continue. If she got upset, and decided to leave then he didn't know what he'd do. Least of all with caring for Georgiana, but mostly because he was sure he'd become a wreck himself. Now that she was here, he never wanted to let her leave, as inevitable as that was.

"I promise, whatever happens, I'm still here for Georgiana," she assured him. He looked into her eyes and knew she was being honest. He hoped she wouldn't change her mind. He was hopeful, of course, that once everything was out in the open, they'd be able to move forward with their relationship. Not backwards.

"Alright," Darcy agreed, and she gave him another reassuring smile.

"What happened at the benefit three years ago?" She asked, and finally, they had the conversation that they had both been hiding from all this time.


	23. Chapter 22

**I won't keep you waiting with a long authors note, but, I hope you enjoy it. =)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 22<strong>

Darcy sat there for a long moment staring at her.

"What happened at the benefit three years ago?" she repeated.

"You jump right in don't you Lizzie," he teased, "I'll answer that, I promise, but I think I need to go back further than the benefit, after all, that was several weeks after we first met."

"Alright, what happened when we first met?" she asked, a coy smile on her face, that meeting she did remember happily. But she was curious to know his feelings on the matter.

"I was enamoured," he said with a smile, "At first sight. You certainly threw me Lizzie, I'd never been attracted to someone so instantly in my life. Nor have I since," he admitted, before recounting their first encounter from his point of view.

The day they had first met had been Lizzie's first day working at Darcy Enterprises, she'd been a nervous wreck all morning despite all of Jane's attempts at soothing her, assuring her she'd be wonderful. Lizzie herself was still in shock that she'd even gotten the job, as it was well above her qualifications. She'd arrived half an hour early and had reported to Human Resources as she'd been instructed and received her employee badge and pass and been directed up to the main office on the 21st floor to report to Mr Charles Bingley.

She'd been surprised, when she arrived at Charles Bingley's office to find a young man sitting behind the desk, jovially laughing on the phone as he ran a hand through his strawberry blonde hair. She knocked tentatively and when he looked up his face had brightened even more and he'd gestured for her to enter, quickly wrapping up his conversation.

The morning had passed in a blur as Mr Bingley, insisting on being called _'Charlie, or at the very least Charles!'_ had led her around the office and introduced her to everyone she needed to know, got her settled in her new office and set her up with Margaret, her successor, who was to train her on the job for three months before she retired, at the tender age of thirty to have her twins.

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><p>"When you walked into my office I just about forgot to breath," Darcy said, grinning stupidly. "You were absolutely beautiful, I couldn't take my eyes off you. Your personnel picture hadn't done you any justice, and then you were funny and charming and witty, and you actually argued with me when you thought I was wrong. Most people were too afraid of displeasing their boss to argue their case so vehemently! I was immediately taken with you." Lizzie felt herself blush at his account.<p>

"After you left the office with Charlie, I began to realise how inappropriate it was for me to feel that way, and I told myself I should stop. But you were too enticing. So for the weeks leading up to the benefit I let myself get close to you, or at least as close as I could allow, given the circumstances. There were a number of times I actually wished you would quit, and then I could date you with no concerns. But I knew that was selfish of me," He trailed off.

"But it all changed," She said, "We did have a great relationship growing, then after the benefit you closed off completely. You acted like I was dirt,"

"For which I will always be eternally regretful," he said, "I'm profusely sorry for the way I acted and treated you. I have no excuse for it, but I hope you'll understand somewhat when I'm done." She nodded for him to continue.

"At the benefit, you looked so incredibly stunning that I couldn't keep my eyes off you the whole night. You were performing your job with such happy candour that I knew that you truly belonged with the company. A fact which both elated and saddened me, because I knew if you weren't working for me I could pursue a relationship with you, but I knew if you didn't work for me I'd never find a better person for your job. By the time dinner was over, I'd just about decided to throw all caution to the wind and just dive in anyway. That's why I asked you to dance, I wanted to tell you how I felt." He paused a moment, ran a hand through his hair.

"We almost kissed," she murmured, relaying the next event of the night. He took a breath before he continued.

"Yes, I'd been wanting to kiss you since I'd first met you, so I intended to do just that. Before your date interrupted us." He said, his last sentence dripping with anger. "I realised what an impulsive thing I'd been about to do, so I stepped away." He paused, rubbing his chin in thought, a sad expression on his face.

"I went to wallow at the bar and Charlie found me and tried to cheer me up, his pep talks are less than helpful by the way, and then this whole thing happened with his sister Caroline, and by the time I returned to find you the moment was well and truly past. I saw you with your boyfriend, laughing and dancing, and I knew I was too late. I'll admit, I was jealous. Really jealous, but you seemed so happy, so I stepped down…" he trailed off at the look on her face, "What?" he asked, her frown was growing.

"That's not the whole story!" she cried, "You said you'd tell me the truth!"

"What? That is the truth Lizzie! And by the time I'd given up trying to keep my distance from you, I'd already messed up so badly that you didn't seem able to forgive me, and that was two years ago now!"

"Of course I wasn't going to forgive you! I was a _mistake_ anyway, right? _AND_ Luke Masters wasn't my boyfriend!" She yelled.

"What?" he asked, actual confusion crossing his face.

"What?" she repeated his question, "I said Luke was never my boyfriend, he just came as my date that night because I thought I was expected to bring one."

"No, not that. What do you mean you were a mistake?" he asked and she looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"I know Darcy, you don't have to pretend. I _heard _you. After you left the dance floor, and I'd yelled at Luke for his audacity to interrupt us, I went to find you, I heard you talking to Charlie, I heard what you said about me!" Darcy's face paled, and she proceeded to repeat the horrible words.

"_She's pretty, but her pretty looks are the only appeal she holds. You know my feelings for her Charles. What almost happened was a mistake!"_

For a long moment they were both silent, Lizzie was on the verge of tears at the stinging memory. She stood up and paced across the room a few steps before she spun around and spoke.

"Then I saw you and Caroline go off into a bedroom! So don't even tell me _'this whole thing happened' _with her. I'm not stupid Will!" She cried, tears actually did escape her eyes. Darcy was still sitting at the table, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tried to speak, but no words came out. Seeing her tears he stood up and crossed over to her, pulling her into his arms. She wanted to resist, she still felt the sting of his rejection from all those years ago. But she didn't pull away, letting herself feel his warmth, just for a second.

Darcy wanted to speak, to dispel the mistruths from what she'd just said, but Lizzie was determined to finish. She quickly stepped out of his embrace to finish her side of the tale.

"I couldn't believe you'd just almost kissed me, then told Charlie, another man that I work for, that I was nothing but pretty and almost a mistake for you. Not only did your rejection sting me, but I didn't even feel confident in my job anymore! Then I saw you go off with Caroline! Who truly does possess nothing but looks and a vapid personality, and I thought you the biggest hypocrite! I was furious. That's why I couldn't stand being around you any more Darcy, I knew the truth, what you really thought of me. You rejected me wholly and I couldn't get over that, and then to top it off, you'd gone off with a woman who I couldn't stand, who was the embodiment of every fault you held against me. You lied! So I went back to Luke and pretended like everything was fine. I was determined to prove you wrong in your assumptions of me. And I was determined to hate you." She paused for a second, wiped the remainder of her tears away and looked him straight in the eye.

"So I don't understand, Darcy, how you could think so poorly of me, and then change your opinion so rapidly and so fully."

"Lizzie…" he said, so quietly, his voice pained, she gave him a sceptical look and he shook his head sadly.

"Lizzie, no,"

"Don't lie, Will, please, give me that much credit," her voice sounded defeated.

"Believe me Elizabeth, what I'm about to say is no lie…" He took her hands in his, "You're wrong, you're so incredibly, off the base, wrong that I almost want to laugh, but for seeing your pain," his voice was earnest.

"What you heard me say, was not in reference to you, your timing was so unfortunate," he pulled her back over to the table and sat before her, still grasping her hands, his eyes pleading for her to believe him.

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><p>"Charlie had come to find me, because his sister had seen our almost kiss on the dance floor and she was upset. See, a few weeks previous I had escorted Caroline, as a favour to Bingley, to a function for her work. Caroline, interpreting this as the beginning of a relationship between us, had told all of her colleagues about me and our fledging romance, she tired to seduce me, when I took her home, she tried to kiss me. I turned her down, after all, I'd just met you and was quiet enraptured, but even if I hadn't met you, nothing would have existed between us. I can't stand Caroline.<p>

"Charlie, having an inclination to believe his sister, thought I may actually have started dating her, he came to warn me that Caroline was upset and that she was coming over to cause a scene. I set him straight about our _relationship_. That's what you over heard Lizzie, my comments about Caroline. If you'd stayed a moment longer, you would have heard my wonderful comments about you. Then what you saw upstairs, was not a… a tryst. What you saw, was me leading Caroline away from the public eye so she couldn't make a scene when I set her straight and told her, that I in no way, intended to date her."

Lizzie was gobsmacked. Surely she hadn't been so wrong! But why would Darcy lie? Especially when there were so many people who could contradict his story?

"Lizzie, by the time the next years benefit rolled around I realised how stupid I'd been. I tried to rectify my mistake by returning to my true personality around you, I couldn't keep up a charade like that anymore. But the damage was done, at the time, I'll admit I thought you were being ridiculous, not to forgive me, even eventually, but now I realise how wrong I was. We were both wrong Lizzie, none of this should ever have happened. If you hadn't heard, or believed what you did, maybe my act of cold indifference wouldn't have held up so long and we could have overcome it sooner."

"You were truly speaking of Caroline?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I was, oh I wish you'd heard what I'd said about you Lizzie, then things would have been so different."

"What did you say?" she asked, he blushed and gave her a small smile.

"I said that you were the most beautiful creature I had ever beheld and that I was sure that you were a woman that I could fall in love with," he answered, his eyes staring into her own. She gasped, a little surprised, firstly at that declaration and secondly at the burning honestly in his look.

"And I meant it," he added.

"Lizzie, you're truly an amazing person. If I hadn't known that already, then your willingness to help me this past week and your selflessness when it came to Georgiana would have proven it to me. Now that you know the truth, I can't bear to let you walk away from me again. I've wanted more from our relationship since the first moment we met, and while I'm profusely sorry about what happened between us at this years benefit, I cannot bring myself to regret it, because it was the best night of my life,"

"Will…" she whispered, looking into his eyes. The way they were sitting, knees touching as they faced each other, both their elbows resting on their knees they were already close, but Darcy was leaning in impossibly closer. His gaze, which had been so intent on her eyes, dropped for a moment to her lips, which she unconsciously wet, before returning to meet her eyes.

"Will, I…" she started, but she was cut off, because suddenly his soft lips were upon her own, gently persuading her to kiss him back. His closed lips touched hers three times before his tongue ran along her lower lip, begging entrance. Lizzie's lips parted of their own accord, as if this was the most natural thing in the world and she felt herself kissing him back, slowly, and fervidly and filled with emotion. After a few moments Darcy pulled back from the burning kiss, his hand reached up and stroked her cheek.

"Goodnight, my Lizzie," he whispered, raising from his seat, his hand still on her cheek, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead then quickly left the room, leaving Lizzie with a head full of thoughts she couldn't comprehend, and the residue of a kiss making her tingle with desire.

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><p><strong>Leave a review! I'll need them to get me through the next week! <strong>

**It's a good thing I'm a few weeks ahead of my update schedule, or you might not get an update until the end of May! (Don't worry, that won't happen) =P**


	24. Chapter 23

**It's raining, it's pouring and I'm snuggled up in my dressing gown. But it had better let up by the end of the week because I'm filming exteriors for my short film, and if it's wet, we're in trouble!**

**Enjoy chapter 23! Sorry for those who we disappointed in the end of the last chapter, but I stand by it. Ready for some more Lizzie and Darcy time? Then read on!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 23<strong>

When Lizzie woke the next morning, nestled amongst the pillows and feathered duvet, the sun was already rather high in the sky. It took her a moment to recollect her surroundings, but once her eyes had fallen on the clock, and she saw that it was almost eleven, she shot out of bed and raced down the hall to Georgiana's room. Cursing herself for neglecting her responsibilities, the whole reason she was even at Darcy House in the first place, and on only her second day, she was already failing. She ended up stumbling into Georgiana's bedroom with a slight trip as she exclaimed the girls name.

"GiGi!" she cried while she corrected her balance before coming to a halt, surprised to see Georgiana sitting up in bed, staring back at her with a great big smirk on her face.

Georgie was changed from her nightgown and her hair had been brushed out and she had a book lying in her lap as she looked up at her friend.

"Cute pyjama's" she said by way of greeting, a teasing twinkle in her eye.

"You're up!" Lizzie exclaimed, Georgiana, still unable to laugh without causing pain, smiled instead.

"So it would seem," she responded, still smirking.

"I overslept," Lizzie said, "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," Georgiana replied, "William told me to let you sleep in."

"He did?" Lizzie questioned, her thoughts turning to Darcy for the first time that day. She felt herself blush remembering the events that had transpired in the kitchen last night.

"Did something happen last night?" Georgiana asked, looking far too innocent for her own good.

"I'm going to get your next does of medicine ready," Lizzie said, instead of answering. She left the room quickly with Georgiana calling after her teasingly,

"Is that a threat?" and they both chuckled to themselves.

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><p>And so it was, the rest of the week went by in much the same manner, although rather quickly, and Lizzie was incredibly frustrated. When she'd spoken to Kitty on the phone earlier that day, and said that very thing, she had been teased mercilessly. <em>"Yeah, in more ways than one," <em>had been sisters response, followed by a lot of unnecessary comments about Will's attractiveness and sexual prowess. In the end, Lizzie had hung up on her. But the conversation hadn't done anything to help her.

Because he'd missed all of the last week, Darcy had to put in a few extra hours at work everyday, so he wasn't getting home until late and was often leaving before, or very soon after, Lizzie got up in the morning. What was frustrating her, was that ever since their discussion, and their kiss - that burning, intense kiss- Darcy hadn't said anything more about it!

And it wasn't as if he was being cold or distant, in fact, her was being utterly friendly and charming and, well… perfect. So it was, that every time Lizzie got fed up enough to broach the subject, he'd go and do something ridiculously sweet and wear her down again. Like bringing her hot cups of tea, or the morning he'd made her breakfast, or yesterday when he'd surprised her by inviting her sisters and Charlie over for dinner.

Then there was the fact that every night after Georgiana had gone to sleep, early because the medication she was on made her so drowsy, he'd bring his laptop out into the living room where she was watching TV or reading, and he'd sit on the couch with her and work instead of leaving her on her own and shutting up in his study.

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><p>So it was, on Thursday night, while he was proof reading a report on one end of the couch, that he reached out and started rubbing her feet with one hand as her legs were curled up on the couch between them. It had taken a moment for Lizzie to register this familiar domesticity as abnormal, and she'd turned her head to look at him. He was absolutely absorbed in his work, his left hand rested on the keyboard as his eyes scanned the screen, his right hand still held her foot.<p>

"Darcy," she whispered, but he didn't hear her.

"Darcy!" she said again, this time capturing his attention. He looked up, a slight smile on his lips. She pointedly glanced down at her feet and his eyes followed. He stopped his ministrations as if he'd just noticed what he was doing, but he didn't remove his hand.

"Darcy, what are we doing?" she asked.

"Well," he started, "I'm working, and you appear to be watching television," he joked.

"Very funny," she retorted, rolling her eyes, "No, you know what I meant. What are we doing about, us?" she asked, sounding braver than she felt.

Darcy sighed, and moved his laptop onto the coffee table, not removing his hand from her foot, instead he gave it a light squeeze, put his other hand around her ankles and pulled her feet into his lap as he turned to face her.

"I know I haven't been around much this week, but that will change after tomorrow. I've been busy, but I wanted to give you some space," he said, "You're kind of forced to be in my company here, and I know you probably wanted to get away, get some distance…"

"Darcy…"

"Lizzie," he countered, "Look our… conversation the other night dragged up a lot of old issues, we both probably needed time to process it. But if you're ready to continue… or rather, when you're ready, then so am I."

Lizzie took a moment to think about that. To realise that Darcy wasn't avoiding her, but was giving her space to think, space she hadn't realised she wanted.

"So, what now?" she asked after a moment of contemplation.

"Well, that's kind of up to you," he replied, she raised her eyebrows quizzically and he laughed.

"Look Lizzie, I think it's pretty obvious what I want. I like you, I have for a long time, and I want to be with you." He was leaning closer to her now, and she felt a little overwhelmed.

"Will…" she whispered,

"I love when you call me that," he murmured.

"Will," she said again, this time smiling at him. He gazed up into her eyes and smiled back.

"I'm still so, I don't know… I can't seem to figure out what I want." She admitted, he nodded, his face turning solemn.

"I understand," he said, pulling back. She grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"I do know that I can't seem to stop thinking about you," she said, "I know that I'm attracted to you, and I know that my feelings aren't going away." He smiled again, settling back close to her.

"I know that I like kissing you," she whispered, blushing, and he chuckled.

"Mmm, I like that too," he said back, reaching up to touch her pink cheek.

"Can we just…" she hesitated, her eyes flicked to his for a moment before the rest of her sentence fell into the ether.

"We can take it as slow as you want to," Darcy said, finishing her thought.

"Thank you," she said, returning his smile.

Darcy squeezed her feet again and she looked down at where his hands held her.

"Is this okay?" he asked, stroking the top of her toes. Lizzie nodded. His hands began to trail their way upward, coming to rest just above her jean covered knees.

"How about this?" he asked again, she nodded again, her eyes falling shut as she enjoyed his touch.

His hands continued his trail up her body, caressing the outside of her legs and resting on her hips.

"This?" he asked, she nodded again. His hands moved to hold hers and squeezed them once before trailing up her arms. She felt him shift his weight so that he was almost hovering over her. She felt him lean forward, one hand finding purchase on her waist, the other pushing her hair back behind her ear. She felt his breath on her cheek when he whispered.

"And what about this, Lizzie?" She felt herself shiver and nodded again,

"How do you do this to me?" she murmured, and he chuckled,

"I could ask you the same question," he whispered back, leaning closer still.

"Can I kiss you Lizzie?" he asked, she waited barely a second before she whispered _yes._

His kiss was searing, and it wasn't long until their tongues were duelling and Will's weight shifted, pushing her down into the soft cushions of the couch. The hand he held on her hip snaked it's way beneath her and encircled her back, pulling her closer, the other slid around to the back of her neck, holding her to him. Her hands ran up the length of his back and threaded through his soft hair. Soon, they were making out like teenagers in his living room, the late night news playing on the television. Darcy's laptop went to sleep, and they kept on kissing, caressing each other. They lost track of time, of everything really, expect for each other, they couldn't pick how long it was before they stopped, pulling back from each other. Lizzie opened her eyes to meet his, darkened with desire and warm with emotion.

"We need to stop," he breathed, his voice deep and husky.

"I know," she said, leaning up and brushing his lips again.

"Before I can't stop," he said, returning the gesture.

"I know," she repeated, they stared at each other for a moment, and then he was leaning back down to meet her mouth. Luckily, for their intent to take things slow, they were interrupted, when Georgiana's soft voice called out for one of them.

"I'll go," he said, resting his forehead against hers, both of them breathing heavily.

"Mmhmm," she murmured back, unable to find her voice. He lifted himself up off her, pulling her back into a sitting position, even though he only wanted to lie back down, him on top of her.

"You go to bed," he said, "If you don't, I won't be able to stop myself from taking you to mine," he said, kissing her chastely one last time.

"Goodnight," she whispered, as he quickly made his way to the stairs, leaving Lizzie alone in the darkened living room. She took a moment to gather herself before she turned off the TV and made her way up to her room. She paused outside of Georgiana's door, which was opened a crack, and heard their siblings having a hushed conversation. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she heard Georgiana let out a little squeal of delight and thought she could guess the topic. Blushing, she tiptoed the rest of the way to her room and shut the door behind her.

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><p>Darcy was no fool, and he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking he'd be able to get any sleep tonight. Not after a kiss like that, and not without the woman he'd been kissing lying beside him. After he'd tended to Georgiana and she was down for the count, Darcy wandered the halls of his house, thinking back over the details of his and Lizzie's relationship. He tried not to linger on the negatives, but instead focused on the progress they'd made these past few weeks.<p>

Of course, it had all started at the benefit at Netherfeild, which seemed only fitting considering their history there. Darcy cursed in his head at the unfortunate accident that had torn them apart three years ago. He decided he could squarely place the blame on Caroline Bingley and not feel guilty about it. That gave him some semblance of pleasure, but he knew that when it came down to it, the whole debacle was his own fault.

Being with Lizzie at the benefit this year though, had made Darcy realise how stupid he'd truly been by shutting her out. He couldn't fathom a life without Lizzie in it in some capacity, now he hoped it was going to be in the _right _capacity. It might take them some time to get back to that level of intimacy, but he finally felt like they were on the right track. And next time they were together, he was going to make damn sure she knew it was him, and make it matter.

Thinking of sleeping with Lizzie inevitably drew him back to their couch session earlier. He'd felt horrible when he'd though she was turning him down, guilty and depressed and broken, too much emotion for the brief moment that had passed before she'd pulled him back to her and he'd been flooded with relief. Then they'd snogged shamelessly for god knows how long, he couldn't remember a time past his teenage years when he'd had a make out session like that. He silently thanked the gods above that he'd been able to control him self and not turn into a caveman on her. _That _would have surely scared her away. At least _that _part of his teenage self hadn't resurfaced!

The early hours of the morning found Darcy lying on his bed, the door to his room open giving him a perfect view of the guest bedroom door. Which was firmly closed, there was no glow coming under the door, so he assumed Lizzie wasn't having the same difficulties sleeping as he was. It wasn't long before his mind started off on a tangent about Lizzie living here, sharing his bed and his home, doing all those sickeningly domestic things together like cooking and cleaning, but he somehow doubted they'd be nearly as mundane if Lizzie was involved. Thoughts of Lizzie at Darcy house turned to thoughts of Lizzie as Pemberley, and Will found himself anxious to make the trip they'd spoken of last weekend. Tomorrow he'd start to make the plans, he was determined to have her at Pemberley and do it soon. He couldn't wait to see how she liked it there.

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><p><strong>Remember to review! =)<strong>


	25. Chapter 24

**Hello all! I'm supposed to be working on an Ad Campaign Proposal right now, but instead I'm proofing this! Let's hope my procrastination gives way to motivation shortly!**

**Also, I fear that real life might get in the way of next weeks update. I will try my very best, but I thought I should warn you just in case I can't update on time. **

**Now, onto the next chapter, all is not settled for our favourite couple just yet, but I think I'll give them some down time before the drama arises.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 24<strong>

On Friday morning Lizzie woke up late again, and Will had left for work already, but he'd got Georgiana up and settled before he'd left, allowing her the luxury of a sleep in. She meandered down the hall to check on Georgiana, who was enraptured by the soppy midday movie, before continuing downstairs to make some breakfast, even if it was lunchtime. She opened the fridge and started looking for some vegetables to make a frittata.

"As adorable as I find those pyjamas on you Lizzie, I don't think they'd be appropriate attire for tonight," Darcy's voice said, surprising her. Lizzie let out a little yelp and dropped the tub of butter she was holding. She quickly ducked to retrieve it before spinning to face him.

"I thought you were at work!" she exclaimed.

"I was," he smirked, "But I came home early, you do realise it's almost one o'clock don't you?" he teased, gesturing to her attire.

Lizzie gave him a great big eye roll and returned to gathering the frittata ingredients. She was just putting the carton of eggs on the bench when she realised his words.

"Wait," she said, "What did you just say about tonight?"

He laughed, from where he was now sitting at the kitchen counter watching her.

"You haven't forgotten about the dinner party for Mr and Mrs Annesley have you?" he asked, his tone was teasing, but she was stumped, in fact, she had _completely_ forgotten about the Annesley's party.

"Um… yes?" she said, making it sound like a question, "I've hardly looked at my planner this week since I haven't had meetings,"

Darcy chuckled,

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here to remind you then!" he said, "It's the Annesley's Anniversary Dinner Party tonight, and I don't think your cupcake pyjamas would be suitable, as usual, it is a black tie event." His eyes were twinkling with humour but Lizzie's countenance dropped. The Annesley's annual anniversary party, which not only celebrated their marriage but was also a major fundraiser for SUFA, was always delightful, and it disappointed her that she would miss it this year.

"Well, it hardly matters, I mean, you have to go, it's more important for you to go than me, and someone has to stay with Georgiana, maybe Charlie will go with you" she said.

"Oh no, no, no!" He argued, "You're going, we're going together, just like we always do, Mrs Annesley loves you, if you aren't there I'll never be forgiven!" He joked. His gazed sobered and met hers "Besides, do you really think I'd go without you, when at long last, we can actually _enjoy _going to this thing together?" He asked, his voice quiet, "I've taken care of Georgie."

"What?" she asked, she didn't miss the implication in his voice.

"Your sisters and Charlie are going to spend the evening here, I saw Kitty at the office and asked if she'd like to spend some time with Georgiana, she agreed, but given the Wickham situation and not letting anyone go anywhere alone Jane and Charlie will be here too. Although, I imagine they will spend most of their night making out on the sofa," he chuckled, "Not that I blame them," his eyes twinkled, both of their minds turning to their own time spent on the sofa last night.

Lizzie stared at him for a long moment before another thought crossed her mind,

"I don't have a dress!" she cried, and before he could say another word she dashed from the kitchen and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

* * *

><p>"Relax Lizzie," Jane said to her on the phone a few minutes later, "Will already called. Kitty and I are bringing you an outfit."<p>

"Oh, you're a life saver Jane!" Lizzie exclaimed, relieved.

"And don't you forget it," her sister laughed, "So what's going on with you two anyway? Have you made any leeway?" she asked, Lizzie's silence was answer enough.

"Oh, Lizzie, you haven't slept with him again have you?" Jane asked,

"Wow Jane, nice to know how _you _feel about this situation," Lizzie retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Elizabeth…" Jane said,

"No, Jane, I haven't. Give me some credit! Gosh, I thought you _wanted _me and Darcy to get together!"

"I do," she said, "But that doesn't mean I want you to rush into things! I don't want either of you to get hurt."

Lizzie didn't respond to that,

"When are you coming over?" she asked instead.

"After Charlie and Kitty pick me up, they're leaving the office at four, so go wash your hair." She paused, "And don't think you won't be telling me all about you and Will!" she added, at which point Lizzie hung up.

* * *

><p>Lizzie was in her room doing her hair up when not Jane, but her younger sister entered the room, holding a garment bag, small duffle and a pair of strappy shoes hanging off the fingers of one hand.<p>

"I think you should wear it down," Kitty said, placing everything on the bed and coming to join Lizzie at the mirror.

"You hardly ever wear it down, and you have beautiful hair Lizzie, I should know, it's just like mine," she teased.

"Cute," Lizzie replied, nudging her sister.

"Here, let me," Kitty said, moving her hands to Lizzie's head and starting to pull out the pins that she'd put in.

Lizzie did rarely wear her hair fully down, it was quite long and Lizzie often felt like it go in her way, so at work she usually pinned it up, at home she tied it back. For tonight she'd planned to pin it up in piles, but Kitty had other ideas.

After she'd removed the pins, she brushed Lizzie's long brown locks out and withdrew a curling iron from the duffle bag on the bed and plugged it in.

"You planned this all out didn't you," Lizzie laughed, watching her in the mirror.

"Of course I did, trust me Lizzie, I've been a slave to Lydia's appearance for years, I know what I'm doing here," she teased.

"I thought you _liked _playing dress up with Lydia," Lizzie said, to which Kitty shrugged.

"I guess I did, sort of, but the favour was never fully returned with her, she'd never put the effort into helping me that I'd put in to helping her, anyway, I guess I've grown out of it now," she paused, preparing herself with the curling iron, "Now I can just play dress up when it pleases me, like it is now, so shut up and let me work my magic," Lizzie laughed, then made the gesture of zipping her lips.

Kitty made a great effort to curl Lizzie's hair into loose ringlets and sweeping her fringe to the side, using plenty of hairspray to make it all stay put.

"Now, for the makeup," Kitty said as she switched off the curling iron.

"Don't go overboard, please," Lizzie begged,

"How many times do I have to tell you I know what I'm doing," Kitty admonished, spinning Lizzie around in her chair to face her, "Trust my brilliance,"

"I do," Lizzie said as her sister started applying creams and powders to her face,

"Where's Jane?" Lizzie asked once Kitty was focussing her attention on eye shadow, "Why isn't she helping?"

"She's downstairs," Kitty replied, "She wanted to help, but I wouldn't let her. Honestly, you should have seen the dress she wanted to bring you!"

"Wait, what dress did _you _bring me?" Lizzie asked cautiously.

"A great one," she replied, "Black, classic. Anyway I decided that _I_ would be the best person to make you look stunning, and blow Darcy's mind,"

"Kit…" Lizzie warned,

"What?" She interrupted "You want to pretend like you don't want to? Fine, I know the truth. Have you guys made up yet?"

Lizzie was silent, shying away from Kitty's gaze.

"Thought so," she laughed, but she didn't push for any more information, instead applying a thin layer of rouge lip gloss. Not long after that, Kitty declared that she was ready.

"Let's get your dress on," she said, retrieving the garment bag and pushing it into Lizzie hands.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said, turning to leave so that Lizzie could change. She didn't make it out of the room though before Lizzie shrieked and stopped her.

"KITTY!" she cried, "I can't wear this! I don't even know why I own this!" Lizzie said, she'd unzipped the bag and almost died when she recognised the dress. She _couldn't _wear this in front of Darcy!

"You can wear it, and you will. Least of all because it's your only choice." Kitty replied, "And you _own _it, because it's gorgeous, and you should wear it, a dress like that should not be wasted. Now put it on!"

With that, she fled the room, and Lizzie relented, with no option but to put on the dress.

It was a good thing that Kitty hadn't put any blush on her, because right now, looking at herself in the mirror, Lizzie was blushing enough as it was.

God, this dress, Lizzie admitted it was gorgeous, but she'd never had the confidence to wear it.

It was a full length black gown with a halter style neck and a plunging neckline. There was a sash tied around the waist in the same fabric, but what made Lizzie so uneasy, was the fact that the dress was _completely _backless.

"Stunning!" her sisters voice broke her embarrassed contemplation.

"Kitty, I'm going to a work function, _with my boss_, I can't wear this dress," Lizzie complained.

"Au contraire, mon chérie!" Kitty exclaimed, utilising the minimal French she remembered from high school, "Going out with Darcy is _exactly _the reason you should wear it. He won't be able to keep his hands off you."

She said, bringing her shoes over, Lizzie sat to put them on and Kitty resprayed her hair. Then she passed her a pair of earrings and a diamante tennis bracelet.

"There, now you're all set," Kitty said, "And it's almost time for you to leave, you'd better go and find your date." She teased, and then disappeared down the hall.

"He's not my…" she called after her, trailing off until the word "date" was uttered quietly under her breath, but Kitty was right, she did need to find him, date or not.

Lizzie collected her things into the clutch purse Kitty had left on her bed and exited her room onto the landing.

"Will?" she called out, standing in the hall.

"Yeah?" she heard his voice respond, he was in his bedroom.

"I'm ready…" she called back, taking a step closer to his door, from her angle, she couldn't see much inside the room except for the head of the bed.

"Okay, uh… hang on…" he said, sounding distracted. She took the last step to the door and rounded the frame, standing inside his room for the first time.

He was facing away from her, standing in front of a full length mirror by the wardrobe. He was wearing a black suit over a white dress shirt and dark grey waistcoat and struggling with the matching bow tie around his neck. Lizzie chuckled, drawing his attention, his eyes flicked up and caught sight of her in the mirror, and he froze.

"Need some help?" she asked, taking a few steps towards him, she was standing before him moments later, after dropping her clutch on the foot of his bed. She reached up and started to tie it for him. Their fingers brushing together until he eventually dropped his hands to his side, letting her take over.

"Lizzie," he breathed, "You look stunning," he uttered.

"There you go," she said, dropping her hands, his bow tie was now sitting straight and perfect at his collar.

"I mean it," he said, holding her hand. "You're beautiful,"

"Thanks," she blushed, shying away she turned her head sideways her eye line falling on Darcy's dresser, dark wood and sparse but for a flash of colour, red and silver, and familiar.

"My mask!" she exclaimed, dropping Darcy's hand and stepping over to the dresser, she picked it up.

"You've had it all this time?" she asked, turning to face him, only to find him standing right behind her.

"Yeah," he said, "Sorry, I meant to return it but never found the opportunity and then it just sort of, became a part of the room." He admitted shyly, sort of ashamed he'd kept her things for this long.

"I have this too," he said, stepping over to the wardrobe, he opened it and withdrew a hanger holding her ball gown from the benefit.

"I thought I'd lost them," she admitted, taking the dress and laying in on the bed. She still held the mask, "I was too scared to ask you because I didn't want to bring up what… happened." She said.

"And I didn't want to remind of you something you clearly regretted. I didn't want you to regret it…" His sentence trailed off. After a moment he recovered himself.

"Anyway, take them back, I never meant to keep them this long," he said.

"Thanks for looking after them then," she said, collecting her things, they went into the hall together and Lizzie opened the door to her room to put her things away.

"I'll meet you downstairs," he said, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss on her cheek, before he walked down the hall towards the stairs.

She hung her dress and put her mask on her own dresser, taking a moment to remember the last time she'd worn it, and how the man had removed it from her and placed it so gently aside. She'd thought about that night often, she'd thought about the passionate lovemaking, she'd thought about the pleasure she'd felt, she'd thought about the aftermath… but she'd never thought about his tender gentleness. She felt herself shiver and turned away from the dresser, checking herself over once more in the mirror before leaving the room.

She stepped in Georgiana's room on her way downstairs to make sure she was all set for the night and say goodbye. Kitty was with her, sitting in the small armchair that was positioned by the bed. The moment she entered the girls both looked up and Lizzie was met with a wolf whistle from Georgiana.

"You were right Kitty, she does look hot!"

"Damn straight," Kitty giggled, "So, how did Will like it?" she asked.

"Oh stop it," Lizzie said with a laugh, not willing to give Kitty the satisfaction of being right, even though she knew she was.

Lizzie said her goodnights and left the room, heading downstairs to meet Darcy who was waiting for her in the foyer with Jane and Charlie. After several long minutes of Jane's exclamations of how amazing she looked, and how handsome Darcy was, and how wonderful they looked together Charlie finally reined her in and they were able to leave, leaving the townhouse Darcy held her hand as she descended the few steps from the front door and handed her into the town car he'd hired, closing her door, he legged it around the car and got in the other side, taking her hand between them on the seat, he gestured for the driver to head off, they were both nervous with the anticipation of the evening.

* * *

><p>They rode in silence for the first half of the journey to central London, where the Annesley's were holding their function in one of the more prestigious hotels. It as as they approached the city center that Darcy broke the silence, squeezing the hand he'd been gently stroking for the past several minutes.<p>

"I spoke to Detective Bridges today," he said, drawing Lizzie from her silent contemplation.

"Oh? What did he say?" She asked, facing him.

"Much of the same, the evidence confirms his theory that Georgie was run off the road, but they can't find the other car, several of it's description were reported stolen around then, so they can't figure out which one it was. He's been working with Detective Ryan, on your case too." He paused, and let out breath, "They can't find hide nor hair of Wickham and think that he must have left town." He said, relaying the information from his earlier conversation.

"So have they stopped looking?" Lizzie asked, dejected that Wickham was going to get away with the things he'd done.

"No, they're still looking, but where ever he's gone, he's covered his tracks well. It doesn't surprise me." Darcy said, he didn't sound angry or upset like Lizzie thought he would, he sounded sort of bored, as if this was a story he'd heard too many times before.

"He's never had to own up to his actions has he?" She asked, cluing in to what he was thinking. He shook his head as confirmation and she sighed.

"Well, at least he didn't do any permanent damage," she conceded.

"No, we were lucky." He agreed, "But now that it looks like he's out of the picture, I was thinking we could make that trip to Pemberley?" He asked, she looked surprised at his question.

"I haven't got any big meetings next week, and with you out of the office anyway the timing is pretty good. We could have Charlie and Jane come up over the weekend." He said, shrugging as if it was no big deal, but Lizzie could tell he'd been thinking about it a lot. She'd be surprised if he hadn't already extended the invitation to her sister and their friend. "I'd have them come along the whole week, but all three of us can't be out of the office," he continued, "Anyway, we could go up Monday, Jane and Charlie could join us on Friday night and we could all come back on Sunday afternoon. Kitty could come to if she'd like, but I got the impression that with work and school about to start that she'd be quite busy,"

"She's doing some summer classes right now," Lizzie answered, "But she'd be thrilled at your thinking of her."

"Of course," he said, they were drawing up to the hotel now, turning the corner they could see it ahead.

"Well it sounds good," Lizzie replied in the little time they had left, "I'm looking forward to it," She smiled and he returned it,

"Me too," he said quietly as the car pulled up at the front of the hotel, the driver was out and opening the doors for Lizzie so Darcy rushed around to hand her out like a gentleman would, then took her arm in his and led her up the stairs into the foyer. Finally, he was spending an evening out, alone with Lizzie. Even if they were technically at a work function, the Annesley Anniversary Party, with its fine food and elegant décor and slow dancing, was a pretty great first date in his books. He looked forward to wooing Lizzie that way he'd always wished her could, now that he finally had the chance.

* * *

><p><strong>Want to see Lizzie's Dress? This is what I had in mind. <strong>

**http:/i680(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/vv162/coffeebiscotti/LizzieDress(dot)png**

**Maybe it's not super risqué, but just roll with it, kay? =)**

**For those unsure, SUFA means Stand Up For Africa.**

**And please, review! They make my day!**


	26. Chapter 25

**A week late, but a day early! Sorry to keep you waiting, but last week was infinitely insane and drained away any inspiration to write. Lucky for me (and I suppose all of you) I've had a few hours this morning waiting for something, to spare me some writing time! Also, listening to my itunes on shuffle sparked the inspiration, because I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter. So, it's a bit song centric, please forgive me if you don't like that kind of thing.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25<strong>

The ball room glittered, and as she entered with her arm looped through Will's Lizzie took a moment to admire the rich purple tablecloths, the silver decorations and the centerpieces that adorned each table, a bouquet of delicate white flowers twinkling with fairy lights.

"They don't cut corners, do they?" Darcy whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck, she couldn't suppress the slight shiver the sensation caused through her body, and it was a moment before she could respond with a small smile and a giggle as she nodded her agreement.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Leanne," Lizzie whispered back, just as none other than the hostess herself, spotted them.

"Ahhh! Lizzie! You're here!" Leanne Annesley squealed from a little way across the room.

"I told you she'd never forgive your absence," Darcy teased, pulling her across the room to greet the hosts.

"Happy anniversary Mrs Annesley!" Lizzie said by way of greeting.

"Oh Lizzie! I was so afraid you wouldn't be here!" She started, and Lizzie plastered on a smile and prepared for an onslaught. Mrs Annesley was nothing, if not enthusiastic. "I called your office today and they said you'd been out all week and Kate didn't know when you'd be back and Mr Darcy here had already left for the day! I didn't know what to do with myself!"

Beside her, Lizzie could feel Darcy as he tried to suppress his silent chuckles.

"And don't the two of you look simply gorgeous tonight!" Mrs Annesely was saying, drawing her attention back and stopping Darcy's chuckles short.

"Well thank you Mrs Annesely," Lizzie said, feeling the blush on her cheeks.

"That dress is simply stunning, and Mr Darcy, you look very handsome, and together! Well, you're the most beautiful couple in the room!"

Darcy nearly blushed this time, and gently squeezed Lizzie's hand, which still rested on his arm.

"Believe me Mrs Annesley, I know exactly how lucky I am tonight," he said, speaking softly and gazing down at the woman on his arm.

Mrs Annesley watched them curiously for a brief moment, noticing that there was certainly more than their usual employer/employee relationship between them tonight.

"I think I'll just leave you to it then," she said conspiringly before flitting away to greet a new guest.

"Shall we?" Darcy asked, gesturing to the expanse of the room. Lizzie nodded her consent and the couple stepped off to make the first rounds of the night.

Out of obligation, they started the evening out with business, making sure to speak to anyone at the function who was a donor or a client, and stopping off with the SUFA people to contribute their donation. But the entire time they were 'working' Darcy never let Lizzie leave his side, making sure he was involved in all the same conversations as her, and incorporating her into the ones he was obligated to partake in. One of the things Will found so wonderful about Lizzie was her quick wit and comfortable demeanour, that meant she could talk to almost anyone about anything and make it into the most riveting conversation. So in the end, Darcy didn't get much of a word in edgewise, because he was too busy being enraptured by Elizabeth.

"You okay?" Lizzie asked him about forty minutes later after they'd moved away from the conversation she'd been having with Paul and Loretta Jameson, who were one of the smaller donors at Darcy Enterprises.

"Never better," he smiled warmly.

"You're awfully quiet," she said.

"Just enjoying the brilliance of your mind," he answered, "Listening to you is far more entertaining than hearing myself talk,"

"What a charmer you are," Lizzie teased, "Lucky for you, it's my job to talk to these people, so you get to keep listening,"

"How fortunate," he winked, affectionately tapping the end of her nose, making her blush.

It was then that they were separated. Will reluctantly let go of Lizzie's hand as she was drawn into a conversation with one of their larger donors, and he was pulled away by one of their more important clients and it wouldn't have been polite for either of them to cut their conversations short. Somehow, Will found him self at the bar, nursing a scotch on the rocks and watching Lizzie from across the dance floor as she laughed and smiled at her companions words. Marshall Peterman was chuckling at one of his own jokes and Darcy managed to laugh enough to make it look like he'd been listening intently… something about a golfer and his putter? Regardless, he quickly turned his thoughts away from Lizzie so he wouldn't get distracted again.

The next time he looked up, as conversation with Peterman was coming to an end, Lizzie no longer in the same place, with every intention of going to find her Will shook Peterman's hand and brought the conversation to a stop.

"Have someone call my office next week and I'll set up a meeting," he said grasping the portly man's hand and smiling, "Enjoy the rest of your evening,"

"Same to you boy!" Peterman chuckled, "I suppose you're anxious to get back to that goddess of a woman who is your date tonight! Good for you! I knew you and Elizabeth would figure things out eventually!" And with that remark, he left, leaving Will slightly perturbed. He took a moment to ponder the man's words, and then figured it didn't matter and turned to find his date.

"Willy?" a high pitched voice interceded, stopping his endeavour before it could start, "Willy! Hi!" it repeated. Darcy groaned, his shoulders dropped for a moment and he closed his eyes tight before regaining a neutral expression and looking towards the voice. Coming face to face with none other than Caroline Bingley.

"Hello, Caroline" he greeted, not extending any part of his body in greeting for fear that she'd latch on as she usually does. The last thing he wanted was for Lizzie to find him with another woman, the woman who'd caused them so much damage at that, grasping onto him possessively, not after they'd finally made so much progress.

He could see that his efforts would be in vain as she took a step closer and started to turn her body towards him, intending to take his arm. He mirrored her movement and created a little more distance.

"Willy," she said again and he cringed, she was the only person in the world who called him that, she actually thought it was endearing, that he liked it! He hated that pet name like he hated the plague.

"It's so lovely to see you, it's been so terribly long! I was starting to think you didn't love me anymore!" she pouted, and Darcy braced himself for another tedious conversation of over the top flirting and grappling by his companion. Something about his rejection had only caused to spurn Caroline on, and if it weren't for her brother, the kindest, most honest man he'd ever known, being his best friend and his business associate, he'd have nothing to do with her.

"I suppose it has been a while hasn't it," he answered, scanning behind her for a glimpse of Lizzie, hoping to catch her eye and plead for rescue. She was nowhere to be seen in the continually filling ballroom, and with every new addition to the party, she was going to be harder to spot in the crowd.

"Charles' birthday must have been the last time we were together!" She exclaimed, making it sound like they'd shared more than a passing hello at her brother's birthday dinner four months ago.

"I suppose you are right," he said again, trying to move back a step to stop her advances, but she was getting increasingly closer as she yabbered on.

"I'm here, of course, for work. I think it's quite ridiculous that these Annabee's host a party for themselves _every _year, don't you? But Mr Simmons was quite insistent that I come and represent the company."

Darcy was only half listening, he was beginning to worry that if someone didn't interrupt their conversation soon he was going to end up shuffling around in circles to avoid her grasp, which despite his best efforts was getting closer with each passing moment. He wasn't sure how she did it, but he knew if she got a hold of him, there would be no getting rid of her until they were seated for dinner. For the briefest of moments, he panicked, feeling a hand on his arm, but realised it was coming in from behind him and couldn't be Caroline's he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually Caroline," Lizzie's voice intervened, "The _Annesley's _party is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for Stand Up For Africa in Britain. Leanne and David use their anniversary as an occasion to improve the lives of the impoverished people living in Africa. Everyone here usually gives a rather sizeable donation."

She said, claiming her place at Darcy's side with ease and authority. He smiled down at her, she really was amazing, the way she'd put Caroline in her place was subtle yet the message couldn't be clearer. She'd claimed her place with Darcy, defended one of their company's biggest contributors, and a friend, and let Caroline know that she wouldn't be playing any games with her with just a simple glance.

"Oh," Caroline said, deflating before their eyes, "I didn't know _you _were here Eliza,"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, sliding a little closer to Will, who took the opportunity to slide his arm around her waist and anchor her to him.

"I suppose it is you job," she said.

"And my pleasure," Lizzie added, looking up as Will. Caroline glanced down at the possessive hand Darcy had on Lizzie's waist then up at their smiling faces as they looked into one another's eyes and almost gagged. Surely this wasn't right, they weren't here _together!_

"Nice to see you, _Carrie_" Lizzie said, returning the favour of using the nickname she knew Caroline despised, "But they're about to serve dinner, so we ought to find out seats."

Caroline didn't say anything else, but turned in a huff and stormed off towards the tables.

"That was brilliant," Will said when she was out of ear shot, "You have to show me how you did that. I can never seem to get rid of her,"

"That's because she's delusion enough to think she has a shot with you," Lizzie scoffed as they stepped off towards the dining area. She'd already found their seats while Darcy was busy with Marshall Peterman so she led the way. They'd just reach their seats when dinner was announced and Darcy pulled out her chair for her. This was something he'd done before at these types of benefits. They often attended them together, and up until today she'd always just seen it as a part of her job. In light of the new situation they found themselves in, she was starting to realise, Darcy could easily attend these functions without her, bring a date or another associate, but it was always her at his side. She realised she was blushing again as he pushed her seat in behind her.

* * *

><p>Dinner was three courses, Lizzie had the potato and leek soup starter with soft fluffy bread rolls, a main course of slow cooked lamb that practically melted in your mouth on a bed of the most amazing mashed potatoes she had ever tasted and a dessert that had her salivating before it was even placed in front of her, chocolate délice with raspberries and vanilla bean ice cream. She took her first bite and couldn't hold back the moan that came out of her. Darcy chuckled beside her and Lizzie shot him a look.<p>

"What?" She asked

"Oh nothing, I've just never seen anybody enjoy chocolate so much," now it was Lizzie's turn to laugh.

"Obviously you haven't spent enough time around me," she said, not realising the implications of that sentence until it was too late. Darcy's eyes darkened as he gazed on her and she averted her gaze quickly, suddenly feeling very warm. Her eyes fell on his plate, a panna cotta with passionfruit glaze, she quickly picked up his fork, stole a bite of the creamy dessert and put it in her mouth. A look of surprise crossed his eyes as he watched her, she smiled softly, looking back into his eyes.

"Mine's better," she said simply and turned back to her plate. He laughed, taking his first bite from his plate and contemplating it, it was good. Then, he reached out and gently grabbed Lizzie's wrist as her hand made its journey to her mouth. Her fork was poised in mid air and she turned to look at him, he pulled her hand towards him and quickly stole the bite of chocolate that she'd been about to enjoy. Her mouth dropped open in shock as her delicious dessert disappeared behind Will's lips. It was the briefest moment that their eyes locked and then his closed… and he moaned!

"God, you're right. Yours _is _better!" he said and she giggled, pulling her hand out of his and spearing some more chocolate, quickly eating it.

"Too bad, the rest is mine," she teased. He pretended to pout, but turned back to his plate and ate his, what was now, a substandard dessert.

As the dessert plates were cleared away, the music lifted from the soft background instrumentals that had accompanied dinner and the mingling hour and the band started to play something danceable. Upbeat and jazzy, most of the guests started to leave the tables and head onto the polished dance floor. By his side, holding his hand on the tabletop Lizzie was turned away from him, speaking to her other dinner companion. Darcy was half listening to their conversation, but mostly her was watching Lizzie and looking for the opportunity to ask for a dance. One that was more like the one they'd shared at her first Darcy event, not like all the obligatory dances she'd been burdened with since then. He found his moment when Lizzie's conversation partner was swept off to the dance floor by her own husband. Lizzie turned to face Darcy with a smile.

"I think I might have just convinced Mrs Denny to have her husband's company sign on with us," she said proudly.

"I don't doubt it," he said, rubbing a circle on the back of her hand with his thumb. They stared at each other for a long moment before he spoke again.

"Would you like to dance Lizzie?" he asked her, she looked across to the dance floor where couples were dancing to a bluesy number.

"I'd love to," she answered. Darcy beamed, and got up to help her from her seat and lead her to the floor. They reached it as the song changed, the soft opening of plucking strings immediately recognizable and Darcy pulled her closer and began to sway to the music.

Darcy had always been a good at dancing, she had danced with him enough times to know that. Admittedly most of the times she'd been this close to him she'd been looking for a way to escape. After everything that they'd discussed in recent days she was re-thinking all of his motives. Every time he asked her to accompany him to a function, asked her to dance, pulled out her chair, helped her from the car… what she'd always tolerated with disdain, she was starting to appreciate with sweetness. Being in his arms on the dance floor now, it no longer felt awkward and constricting, but welcoming and natural. He held her closer against him and she looked up into his eyes as the singer began to croon. _Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'._

"You really do look stunning tonight, Lizzie," Darcy whispered, his voice was gruff and his eyes she noticed were very dark. She blushed and ducked her head to avoid his gaze, her head fell right under his chin and he pulled her closer, resting his chin on her head as hers found purchase on his chest. _Birds singing in the sycamore tree, dream a little dream of me. _

"I think this has to be the most fun I've ever had at one of these things," she murmured against him, and she felt his chest shake with a small chuckled.

"I think you might be right," he agreed, "Now that you know I don't hate you,"

"Hmm, yes that might have something to do with it," she teased.

_Say nighty night and kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me. _Lizzie felt a shiver down her spine as the soft words flowed over them. Imagining their meaning, feeling the sincerity in Darcy's touch. The words felt so real, as if the band were singing about them, these two people who were so close to becoming something more, but still keeping that distance between them. Like every night this past week, when they would say goodnight and go to their own beds, both kept awake at night with thoughts of the other. _While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me. _

He trailed his hands down her arms and took her hand, spinning her out so swiftly she felt like she was floating, then pulling her back to his arms.

_Stars fading, but I linger on dear, still craving your kiss. I'm longing to linger till dawn dear, just saying this…_

She felt very warm again all of a sudden, swept into his arms, remember their encounter at Netherfield, the way he'd held her so tightly against him and loved her. How could she not think about waking up in his arms each day when this song was penetrating her deepest thoughts, her most secret desires, the ones she'd never shared with any one?

_Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you, sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you._

The ones she'd only ever dreamed about, and all of them including this man before her, holding her like she might disappear forever in the blink of an eye. She drew back her head and looked up into his eyes, which shone with adoration, and, Lizzie shivered, love?

_But in your dreams, whatever they be._

"Lizzie…" he whispered, stroking a strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek and she wet her lips.

_Dream a little dream of me. _

The rest of the song was lost to her, fading into the ether along with everything else in the room except for this man, who suddenly became the only thing in the room to her.

"Lizzie," he whispered again, as his head dipped down and his lips met hers. The words that spoke of craving kisses and lingering till dawn became obsolete, because his lips were on hers and she had his kiss. His soft lips, his warm mouth, his hands cupping her face and pulling her into him and they continued to sway to the music.

_Dream a little dream of me. _

The music faded away to silence, and it broke their little bubble. Will pulled back, still gazing down on her and he smiled, matching her own. The music had stopped and someone was speaking up on the stage, David Annesley, she realised, he was making his speech and she ought to pay attention so that next week she'd be able to call him and tell him how wonderful it was. Do her job, which was something she was finding rather difficult to do at the moment. But somehow, with herculean effort, she managed to turn away, and still grasping Will's hand, pay attention.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. They didn't dance again, because they both knew that being that close could cause some serious, not appropriate in public, actions. So instead they mingled, spoke to more associates and donors, laughed and joked with those who'd become friends and, Lizzie remembered, drank _a lot _of wine. They stayed until it would be appropriate to leave and then Darcy called for their car to be brought around. Lizzie wondered how they'd manage alone together in the back seat of a car for the short drive home, but didn't have much time to contemplate on that before they were there. She didn't want to rush things, she wasn't ready to sleep with him again, but there were definitely things that needed to change, she hoped she was sober enough to keep her resolve, and if she weren't, that Jane, Kitty and Charles' presence at the house would be enough to intervene. Because every time memories of their dance, or for that matter, their night together at Netherfield, popped into her mind, she was finding it hard to remember her reasons for taking things slowly.

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><p><strong>A lot of favsalerts that didn't review this week =( Please take the extra few moments and let me know what you think.**

**See you next week!**


	27. Chapter 26

**A day late! My apologies, I won't keep you waiting, expect to warn you that there may not be an update next week. RL is kicking my behind at the moment.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 26<strong>

She should just tell him. Tell him she's not ready yet. He'd understand, respect her wishes, that much she knew… so why couldn't she just tell him?

These were the thoughts that rolled around in Lizzie's head as they were driven back towards Darcy's townhouse after the function. She could feel the buzz in her head from the alcohol, and it was heightening the feeling of Darcy's caress against her hand, which in itself was making her light headed when he coupled it with that intense gaze of his. The one with the dark eyes that bore into her soul and screamed of love. Lizzie looked away, and for a moment she cursed her caged heart.

Lizzie may have been adventurous and audacious her entire life, but she'd always been cautious when it came to love. Determined not to fall into affairs of passing fancy, indulge in anything purely for pleasure, and she'd never marry for anything except the deepest, truest love. Her heart was the one part of her that lived guarded, and recently it was being engulfed by Will Darcy. Who she was still afraid to fall for, which, she admitted, was exactly what was happening.

She could admit to herself that recently Darcy had shown his true colours, his nice side, and his honest feelings. All of these were good things, and pulling her further into him, but it wasn't that easy to just stop something you'd been doing your entire life. Especially when it was an act of self preservation, and you were scared of the possibilities. Nervousness overtook her when she considered the possibility of everything working out between her and Darcy, she'd thought about the whole shebang. A big white wedding, children… But she was also deathly afraid of what would happen if everything fell apart. He was still her boss, would she be out of her job as well as nursing a broken heart? It would disrupt her personal life as well because his best friend was still involved with Jane, and _that_ was certainly going to be a success story. Thinking of that kind of future made her want to run away now, before things got too involved.

"We're home," Darcy said, softly pulling her from her thoughts. When she turned to face him then, she saw it in his eyes, there was no way he would let her run away. He walked around the car and handed her out onto the sidewalk, leading her up the stairs to the front door. In the shadowy alcove he quickly pulled her in for a kiss before he unlocked the door and they would no longer be alone.

No, there was no way she could give this relationship up without first giving it an honest shot. Which meant, she realised, she was in it for the long haul. _Well, _she thought as they crossed the threshold, _there's one thing I don't have to worry about anymore. _

Jane came rushing in from the sitting room a smile beaming across her face.

"Oh, you're back! How was it?" She asked, practically bouncing up and down. Charlie, who'd followed her in, put a hand on her back, which immediately calmed her down a touch. Lizzie smiled, yes, those two were certainly made for each other.

"It was a wonderful night," Lizzie said,

"Oh I'm so glad!" Jane started, and then she started asking a million questions about the food and the guests and the music, Lizzie gestured for her to follow her upstairs while Darcy and Charles went into the study to share a drink and catch up. Up in her room Jane helped Lizzie change and pack up her things while Lizzie talked about everything that happened through out the night. Kitty came in not long after they'd arrived and sat on the bed listening while Jane bounced around gathering things into the duffel bag and Lizzie, now changed into her pyjamas (not the cupcake ones today, but equally as childish ones adorned with cartoon kittens) sat at the mirror using make up wipes to clean her face.

"Oh," Lizzie said suddenly, "You'll love this!" She flashed a look back at Kitty in the mirror, perking her interest.

"Caroline Bingley was there tonight," she started, Kitty's left eyebrow rose questioningly.

"Oh! How is Caroline? It's been so long since I've seen her!" Jane asked.

"Yeah, me too," Lizzie agreed.  
>"Hmmph, with good reason," Kitty muttered, even though she'd never met Charlie's sister, she'd heard enough from Lizzie not to like her.<p>

"Kitty!" Jane admonished, but Lizzie winked at her.

"No, she's right," Lizzie agreed, and continued to tell the story of her earlier encounter. By the time she was finished she could tell Jane was struggling to remain impartial. She hated to think badly of anyone, but she had always thought Caroline treated her little sister poorly, so she was actually impressed with Lizzie's dealings with her tonight. Kitty on the other hand, had no problem expressing her delight at the situation, letting out a wooping cry of joy and clapping a few times.

"Bravo LizBiz!" she cheered, "You claimed your man like a pro!" she said, and Lizzie blushed, spinning on her stool to face her sisters.

"He's not _my man_," she said.

"Yes, he is!" Kitty disagreed, "Or at least he should be, or would be if you'd just give him the green light."

"For once, I actually agree with you Kitty," Jane laughed, "It's pretty clear how Darcy feels about you Lizzie, the only question is, how do you feel about him?"

Lizzie sighed, that certainly was _the_ question, one she wasn't sure she knew how to answer, but if there was anyone she could share her feelings with, it was these two girls. Jane she had always shared everything with, and recently Kitty had become once of her closest confidants. They were sisters, and best friends, and these two knew her better than anyone else in the world.

"I keep asking myself the same thing," she admitted, they both frowned.

"You love him," Kitty insisted, "You just won't admit it to yourself, but you do,"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I think I defiantly _could _love him, some day, I certainly _want _to love him. I want to be with him. But I guess I'm just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Jane asked

"Of what might happen," she answered.

"If things didn't work out?"

"And if they did," Lizzie admitted, "I've never met anybody who I've wanted so much from. I want everything with Will, but with everything we've been through, it's hard to imagine it would work,"

"Are you saying you don't trust him?" Jane asked, concern etching across her face.

"No! No, it's not that at all. I do trust him, I trust him completely!" she exclaimed.

"You don't trust yourself not to screw it up," Kitty said, and Lizzie met her gaze. All right, mystery solved, Kitty, was dead on. She didn't trust herself. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks.

"He's got this image of me in his head… what if I can't live up to it?" she asked.

"He knows exactly who you are Lizzie, and he still loves you. You haven't exactly treated him so well for the past few years, yet he's still trying to win you." Jane said.

"You won't ruin it," Kitty finished, and Jane nodded her agreement. Lizzie sighed, maybe they were right.

"We'd better go," Jane said, "See you soon Lizzie," she said grabbing the duffel bag.

"Bye sis," Kitty grabbed the garment bag, dress safely back inside it, and the shoes from by the door and they left the room. Lizzie contemplated their conversation for a few minutes, then followed their path downstairs to say good night, and thank you to Will.

She peeped into Georgiana's room as she passed and saw that the girl was fast asleep, her head lolling to the side on her pillow. Lizzie shut the door quietly and padded the rest of the way to the landing in her socked feet as softly as she could. Downstairs, the living room, foyer and dining room were all dark, there was a soft glow coming from the sitting room doorway, but Lizzie headed to the brightly lit kitchen first, where she found Darcy at the counter making two steaming mugs of hot tea.

"Hey," she said, quietly calling his attention. He looked up from his tea bag dipping and smiled, he was still wearing his tux, but he'd removed his jacket, vest and bow tie and undone a few of the shirt buttons. Lizzie couldn't help but think how ruggedly handsome he looked in his dressed down state.

"Hey," he replied, that smile still gracing his lips.

"I thought you might like some tea," he continued, resuming his task and reaching for the milk, pouring a drop into each mug and stirring them.

Lizzie nodded and walked over to sit at the counter in front of him. He stirred in sugar, exactly the amount she liked, into both cups, he looked up at her with a grin.

"Funny how we both take our tea exactly the same way," he chuckled, "Great minds and all that,"

She laughed softly at him, but didn't make eye contact, suddenly the fact that they were all alone together seemed unsettling. She felt like she'd reached the edge of a crevice and was teetering on the ledge, waiting to fall or be pulled back. She felt like she should be panicking, like she should be flailing and trying to scramble back to the safely of solid ground. But she was just… waiting. Was she ready to fall? The thought flittered across her mind at the very moment that Darcy pushed the warm mug into her hand, his fingers brushing against hers.

"Shall we go into the sitting room?" he asked

"Uh, sure," she replied, a little shakily. She got up and followed him into the next room, which was lit only by the table lamps. Darcy flicked off the harsh kitchen fluorescents as he passed the switch and it was only moments later that Lizzie found herself sitting next to him on the plush L-shaped sofa, her legs pulled up beneath her. He was leaning back into the corner of the cream pillows, and arm running along the back of the couch against the wall, his hand falling somewhere behind her head. He propped his legs up on the chaise section and picked up a book from the side table, giving her a soft smile as he propped it on his leg and some pillows, opening the marked page.

It was clear to Lizzie that he wasn't looking to have any in depth conversations right now, and for that she was a little relived, after all she had been drinking, and while she wasn't drunk, she wasn't in the condition to be talking about their feelings. Kitty's comment upstairs hadn't helped much either.

Lizzie sipped at her tea and watched Darcy as he flicked to the next page of his book. _What am I feeling? _She thought, taking in the sight before her and realising how absurdly natural it felt, despite her jittery and nervous stomach.

She felt safe, she realised, smiling at the thought. Darcy made her feel safe, and tonight he'd made her feel beautiful. He'd also made her feel wanted, lusted after, and for that matter, lustful, she thought remembering the hot flushes and the feeling of her fast heart beat that had overcome her several times at the party.

She did like him, a lot, she wanted to spend time with him and she wanted to be _close _to him too. She could remember the feel of him from the night they'd slept together at Netherfield all too well, and tonight when he'd held her tightly against his body on the dance floor it had felt good to be pressed up against him. She felt her body warm again and realised she was blushing, so of course, Darcy chose that moment to look up from his book at her.

"What?" he asked, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Nothing!" She said, but it came out somewhat squeaky.

"Liar," he smiled, "You're a terrible liar, you know that right?" he asked, a chuckle in his voice.

"I am not!" she defended herself, and she wasn't, normally, "Only when it comes to you," she said, before she could stop herself.

He really did laugh this time, that deep baritone laugh that she liked so much because his smile reached his eyes and it sounded like music. She blushed deeper.

"Come on Lizzie, what's up?" he said once his laughter subsided, she let out a sigh.

"Nothing, really, I was just thinking about stuff," she shrugged. He closed his book and put it aside, next to his now empty mug of tea.

"What _kind _of stuff?" he asked, teasingly. This was not helping her blush situation.

"Well, you, to be honest," she mumbled.

"Hmm, should I be worried? Or were these _good _thoughts?" he asked, "You _are_ blushing," he teased, "Can I take that as a good sign?"

She felt herself get redder, and his expression softened.

"Oh, Lizzie, I'm only teasing you!" he said, "Come here," he took her nearly empty mug and placed it on the coffee table, resuming his position her tugged her over to him. She found herself relaxing into his arms.

"Now, all teasing aside," He started, "You can tell me Lizzie, what's going through that pretty head of yours?"

"I thought you said no more teasing?" She laughed,

"It's not teasing when it's the truth," he responded, "Seriously Lizzie, what are you worrying about?"

She sighed,

"I guess it's not so much that I'm worrying, I'm still just figuring things out."

"That's okay, you know I'm not trying to rush you Lizzie, I'm sorry if tonight felt like I was, but sometimes I just can't help myself around you," his voice sounded like he was a little ashamed. Lizzie shifted her head and looked up at him from where she had been resting on his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad about it Will, you haven't done anything wrong. And tonight… well tonight was some of the most fun I've ever had. It was a lovely night, I guess that's what got me thinking, you know? It feels so natural to be with you sometimes, and that it worries me because I _don't _worry." She laughed, "I guess that doesn't really make sense,"

"I get it," he smiled, "So, how about we don't worry about anything tonight, and just enjoy being together? Just like this?" he asked, she sighed, _that _sounded like a wonderful idea.

"Please," she said by way of answer.

So he sat back in his seat, first reaching for the small remote that controlled the sound system and turning on some soft instrumental music, before pulling Lizzie into him so that she was snuggled into his side, her head resuming it's place on his chest.

For a little while they talked, about the party that night, about work, and about their plans for Pemberley, but soon they both fell silent and just sat together. It wasn't long until Lizzie was feeling very sleepy, and knew she should get up and go to her bed, _just one more minute, _she thought. What could it hurt, after all?

"This is nice," she found herself saying through a yawn in her sleepy, half way to drunk state. Darcy's chest rumbled with his chuckle as he agreed with her.

"You're nice," he mumbled back, and she could tell she was blushing.

"So are you," she said, yawning again, "Thanks for taking me out tonight Will, I had a good time."

"Any time Lizzie," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She didn't say anything else, because she nodded off lying there in his arms, a small smile on her lips and a warm feeling in her heart.

When she woke up a little while later and she was moving, or rather, someone was moving, and carrying her up the stairs. She blinked under the lights shining through the banister from upstairs and peered up through her lashes at Will, who had her cradled against his chest, her arm was looped around his neck as he carefully navigated the stairs and carried her to her room. He was too busy watching his steps to see her look up at him, so when he reached her dark room and crossed over to the bed with her he didn't see her open eyes on his face. He lowered her body onto the bed and pulled the blankets up around her before stepping back. He was almost at the door when she spoke, stopping him in her tracks.

"Will?" She called, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah," he whispered back, one hand holding onto the door frame.

"Stay," she whispered into the darkness, watching his silhouette as he turned his head to look towards the bed. The light from the hall spilled onto her face, dimly lighting her features and showing her earnest eyes.

"Lizzie…" He whispered, warningly with slight shake of his head. They'd had a good time together tonight, and that was enough for him, he couldn't take advantage of this situation just because she'd been drinking. But climbing into Lizzie's bed was so very tempting.

"Just stay Will, and hold me? I'm not ready for anything _more, _but I don't want you to leave," she said.

He only hesitated a moment before he reached out into the hall and flicked the switch outside her door, before pushing it shut. The hallway light went off, and so it was by the moonlight flooding through the window that Darcy crossed back across his guest bedroom, and stripped down to his boxer shorts and undershirt to climb into Lizzie's bed. He pulled her small warm body into his arms and nestled her against his side, feeling all jittery inside from anxious excitement. She was in his bed! Technically anyway, and this would only be the first night they would spend sleeping together, he was sure, because he knew he'd never be able to go back now. This was the step forward they had both been looking to take.

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><p><strong>Remember to review =)<strong>


	28. Chapter 27

**I'm back! Don't worry guys, I'm not planning on abandoning this story RL has just been a real drag these past few weeks (but I have finally, FINALLY finished my degree!) And it's been super tough to find the time and inspiration to write. That being said, this chapter is probably not my best, but I know how much you all want it, so here it is anyway! **

**Also, a note on reviews! Firstly, sorry I've been super bad at replying to them, I'll try and rectify that from now on. Secondly, while I don't mind anonymous reviews, if you are going to ask a question please remember to sign in! Or else how am I going to answer you? =P**

**Hopefully I'll be back on my regular update schedule now. Keep those reviews coming, I'll need the extra motivation this week to get my groove back =P**

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><p><strong>Chapter 27<strong>

When Lizzie woke up the next morning, she was alone in her bed, and for the briefest of moments, she feared that last night had all been nothing but a wonderful dream. Opening her eyes properly though, she realised that it hadn't been a dream, it really had happened. The drapes had been drawn to block the bright morning sun, and on the bedside table Lizzie could see a large glass of water and some painkillers waiting for her. Sitting up to reach for them, she felt the dull and familiar ache in her head that was so common after a night of drinking, and was thankful for the kind gesture from Darcy. He was taking care of her. She was squealing joyous on the inside at the thought.

Looking across the room, she could see his white dress shirt and pants were still draped over the chair from the bureau, obviously where he'd left them last night, and then burrowing back down into the pillows, she caught the lingering scent of his cologne.

Yes, last night had been real. She'd spent the night with Darcy, and this time, she didn't regret it. She couldn't help but smile.

It was Saturday, so Lizzie knew that Darcy wouldn't be at the office, but glancing at the clock, she saw it was only a little after eight, much too early to be out of bed on a Saturday in her opinion! Lying in bed, curled up in soft blankets and breathing in his scent, she was sorely tempted to drift back into dreamland, but she was also painfully curious about Darcy's whereabouts.

She knew, from the past week of living in his house (let alone the three years she'd already worked with him) that Darcy was a productive person, he was always doing something, and once he was out of bed for the day, he was up for good. So, as much as Lizzie hoped he'd come back to her and snuggle under the covers all day, she knew it wasn't highly probable.

Unless she asked him to, then she was sure he'd agree. But no, she would get up and go and find him. She could hear muffled voices coming from elsewhere in the house, it was time she joined the living.

Climbing out of bed, she took a quick hot shower to wake herself up and rid herself of hangover residue, and changed into a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and her red cardigan, she started to pull her hair up into a pony tail before she hesitated, and instead let it fall down her back. She brushed it out quickly, and the soft curls that Kitty had styled it in last night, so made for a wavy curtain down her back.

She skipped down stairs in her socks, unable to keep the smile from her face, especially once she reached the bottom of the stairs and felt her stomach rumble at the delicious scents wafting over from the kitchen. She walked in to see Will was at the stove, frying bacon as he chatted to Georgiana, who he'd brought downstairs and sat in the big reclining chair from the sitting room, that now sat in the arched doorway between it's former home and the kitchen.

"Ah, you're up!" Will exclaimed with a grin, Lizzie smiled right back.

"I am, good morning Georgie!" She said merrily, making her way towards the coffee pot that sat warming the dark liquid of the gods. She poured herself a mug before joining Will at the stove, stealing a rasher of bacon from the plate beside his frying pan and munching on it.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, "Did I say you could eat that?" he teased, his eyes glinting with a playfulness that Lizzie hadn't known he possessed. She just grinned and poked her tongue out.

"Who's going to stop me?" She asked, swiping another piece and eating it before he could stop her. From her position in the recliner, Georgiana was giggling, happy to see her two favourite people in the world finally progressing in the right direction. When they'd left last night Georgiana had hoped that the best would happen, and while she was sure that her Harlequin Mills and Boon inspired wish hadn't been quite fulfilled, she could tell that they'd taken a few steps towards it. They'd have their happily ever after soon enough, she was sure of it.

"Save some for me please!" She cried, joining in and breaking the bubble that the two of them had gotten lost in… after all, she wanted them to get together, but she didn't need to see all the juicy gory details. Will was still her brother!

While Will finished making them all breakfast Lizzie made work of dragging the breakfast table and two extra chairs across to the doorway where Georgiana sat, so that they could all eat together.

Darcy was slowly chewing his breakfast, a piece of buttered toast perched in his hand as he looked over the top of it at Lizzie, who was speaking animatedly with his sister. For the first time this morning, he'd woken up incandescently happy.

Lizzie had been sprawled across the bed at an angle, her head resting on his chest, his arm was wrapped around her. And he was grinning. Oh he could get used to this. The sun was rising, and intruding, slipping out from beneath Lizzie he'd moved across the room and drew the curtains, shutting out the intrusive sun and crawling back into bed. Lizzie had moved in her sleep and curled up on her side of the bed enabling him to crawl up the pillows and watch her sleep. He savoured this moment, the last time he'd wanted to do this, she had run away.

He couldn't tell you how long he lay in that bed in his guest bedroom, gazing at that woman, but soon the soft voice of his sister called stirred him, and he had to leave her. Even though he wanted nothing more than to stay here with her all day. Gazing at her now, over the top of his toast, he was sorely tempted to take her back to bed.

"So, have you decided what you do about school Gigi?" Lizzie asked, pulling Darcy out of his reverie. His eyebrows furrowed and he dropped his toast. What about Georgiana's school?

"What about school?" he asked, leaning his forearms on the table and looking to his sister.

"Yes Lizzie, I have!" She answered before turning to Will to explain, he didn't know she'd been talking about this with Lizzie all week,

"Well, the break is over next week, and obviously I'm not going to be able to go to back this semester," Georgiana started, "I was still supposed to have a semester in France, but I called my exchange officer Natalie and she's pushing it back for me. I'll do it next year. But I don't really want to take a whole semester off so I'm going to classes online this semester," she finished.

"I didn't even think about school," Darcy said, rubbing his chin, "Are you sure you don't want to take some time off?"

Georgiana nodded, "I've already thought about it, I don't want to push my graduation back another semester, besides, being confined to my bed with nothing to do is hideously boring. This way at least I can do something worthwhile."

"I think it sounds like a good idea," Lizzie interrupted, giving Darcy a pointed look. He knew what it meant. _Leave her be, she can make her own decisions._ And he decided to let it go. Lizzie and her pointed expression were right, but it was hard to break the habit of taking care of his sister after he'd been doing it his whole life.

"Alright then," he said, and leaned back in his chair, "I was thinking," he mused, "What if we all went out to Pemberley this week?"

"Oh yes!" Georgiana exclaimed, her demeanour was giddy, "That sounds great!"

"Good," Will smiled, looking over to Lizzie, "Then we'll leave on Monday,"

They finished their breakfast in relative silence then Georgiana asked if Will would carry her out to the courtyard so she could work on her sketches in the garden, while they were gone, Lizzie started to clean up the breakfast mess. She was stacking the dishwasher, her back to the main door when Darcy came back.

"Sleep okay?" he asked, startling her, his voice sounded hesitant. She turned to face him with a smile.

"Very well actually," she blushed. The stood still, staring at each other for a moment.

"So did I," he said, very softly with a grin. She smiled back, then he turned away and went about putting the furniture back where it belonged while Lizzie finished the dishes.

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><p>The rest of the day was spent in a comfortable quiet house, companionable silence. For most of the morning, Lizzie sat out in the garden with Georgiana, she was stretched out in a sun longer reading a book while Georgie sketched away in her art pad. Will was working in his office and arranging their Pemberley trip. Lizzie made sandwiches at lunchtime and they ate in the garden, enjoying the unseasonably warm day. It all felt very domestic, and surprisingly comfortable. For the first time in her life, Lizzie felt like she was home.<p>

It wasn't until later that night that things started to feel wrong. It was late, and everyone had gone to bed, but Lizzie lay awake in her room, staring at the ceiling, absolutely unable to sleep because she couldn't turn of her brain. She couldn't stop think about Darcy, and their date last night, and the fact that her was just across the hall right now, and she was alone.

She tossed, and she turned. And so did he. It was in a fit of frustration that she threw back the covers and swung her legs out of the bed, her feet touching the cold wood floors and making her jump a little. She hesitantly made her way across the room and peeked out into the hall. All the lights were off, it was dark, the passage way lit only by the moonlight from the window at the end of the hall. Across the way, Darcy's door was ajar, leaving a few inches of open space between the door and it's frame. Feeling exceptionally brave, Lizzie left the safety of her room and quickly tip toed across to his door, pushing it open.

His room was dark, but the dim moonlight flooded in when the door opened the rest of the way, silhouetting her figure in the shadows. He was awake, and he leaned up on one arm as she entered.

"Lizzie?" He asked, his voice cracking from sleepiness.

"Hi…" she whispered, standing still in the doorway

"You okay?" he asked, neither of them moving.

"I can't sleep," she admitted, and he saw her shoulder shrug in silhouette. He smiled, but she couldn't see it in the dark.

"Neither can I," he whispered back. This was invitation enough for her to pad across the room to his bed. He shuffled over to the far side as she approached, hoping she'd climb in with him. He couldn't help his feeling of elation when she did exactly that, pulling back the covers and slipping between the sheets. The spot warm from his being there moments earlier.

"You can tell me to leave if you want to," she whispered into the darkness as her head nestled into the pillow. He shifted towards her and took her small frame in his arms.

"I don't want you to leave," he assured her, tucking her into him, her body fitting into his like a jigsaw puzzle.

"Don't leave," he whispered, and she nodded her agreement.

"Okay."

In the darkness, he pressed a kiss to her temple and settled in beside her. Both of them lulled into sleep within minutes now that they were together.

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><p>They were woken the Sunday morning by the ringing of the landline phone. Lizzie was still entangled in Darcy's arms, their legs crossing each other, her head rested on his shoulder. He stirred as the phone woke him, nuzzling into her hair and stretching his arms out around her body, the phone stopped ringing and he nestled back against her, tightening his hold on her body and she relaxed into his touch, content.<p>

Then the phone rang again and he groaned, obviously frustrated. He pulled away from her to roll over and pick up the extension on the bedside table. Lizzie felt her disappointment as he let go and she frowned even though her eyes were still closed.

"Hello?" He said, irritation radiating in his tone, Lizzie curled up a little tighter on her side of the bed, looking for the warm spot he'd just rolled out of, "Oh, hi Jane" he said, and she opened her eyes. Brows furrowed. She glanced at the bedroom clock, worried something was wrong, but the clock said it was almost 9.30. Darcy obviously had very good drapes, it didn't look like long after dawn from the amount of light in the room.

"Yes, she's right here," he said next, and held the phone out to her. Lizzie struggled into a sitting position and took the handset.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice cracked from lack of use over night and she coughed to clear it.

"Lizzie, are you sick?" her sister's voice came back across the line, "Why aren't you answering you mobile?" She sounded worried and Lizzie rolled her eyes, but at the same time wore a grin, touched by her sister's constant concern for her.

"I'm fine Jane, I just woke up. My phone's in my room," she said, settling into the pillows, she grinned and Darcy reached out to take her free hand.

There was a short pause on the other end of the line before Jane spoke again.

"If you just woke up, why aren't you in your room as well?" she asked, from her tone Lizzie could tell she was both worried and excited and she bit her lip. She hadn't meant to give away her sleeping arrangements to her overprotective big sister.

"Ummm..." she said, looking to Darcy, who was oblivious to Jane's side of the conversation. Before she could answer Jane, Kitty's boisterous laughter could be heard in the background on Jane's end.

Brillant, Lizzie thought, this is not the way she wanted them to hear about this.

"She's sleeping in Darcy's bed!" Kitty's distant voice cried out, "About time Lizzie!" She yelled.

Lizzie dropped her head in embarrassment, incredibly glad that Darcy couldn't hear this. His face was all neutrality as he fiddled with a lock of her hair.

"Lizzie, I thought you said you weren't ready for that yet? He's not rushing you is he? You're not going to do something you'll regret?" She said, concern had evidently won out over her previous excitement.

"Jane!" Lizzie cried, in the background she could hear Kitty singing some song about just having sex and she flushed bright red.

"Firstly, tell Kitty to shut up, that is not what happened, and secondly, can you not?" she said, then dropped her voice, more out of shame than trying to prevent him hearing, "Will is right here!"

Hearing his name he looked up from his hair twirling and raised a quizzical eyebrow, she shook her head. Jane was silent and Kitty's singing stopped short after a yelp, and Lizzie was sure that Jane had pinched her. Beside her Darcy was edging out of the bed and Lizzie wanted to pull him back, tell him not to leave. She didn't need to give Jane an opportunity to rehash this conversation. But he was already too far off the bed. He mouthed his sister's name and pointed to the door indicating he was going to check on her and then Lizzie knew she had to let him go. No matter how selfish she was feeling.

"I just want you to be happy Liz, I worry about you." Jane said, pulling her back to their conversation as Darcy left the room, then she sighed, "I'll stop. I know you're a big girl, you can figure it out on your own and you'll ask me if you need advice. You don't have to remind me," she laughed half heatedly.

"Thank you, Jane," Lizzie said, feeling relieved. She loved her sister, she really did, but sometimes she could be rather over the top. But then again, Lizzie was the same for her, fiercely protective.

"Anyway, why are you phoning me so incessantly, it's early, go back to bed," Lizzie laughed, knowing she'd like to do the same.

Jane laughed.

"I just want to know if you're coming to Mum and Dad's today, you haven't been for a few weeks. Mum's been postal."

"IF LIZZIE'S NOT GOING THEN I'M NOT GOING!" Kitty yelled in the background, and Lizzie smirked.

"You might be on your own Janie," she smiled.

"So you're not coming?" She sounded dejected "And why not exactly?"

"Probably because she's going to spend all day screwing her boss," Kitty teased, much closer to the mouthpiece than she had been previously. Lizzie imagined her leaning over Jane's shoulder and waggling her eyebrows in that way that only Kitty can do.

"Oh, honestly Kitty, must you be so crude?" Jane admonished and Kitty squealed, Lizzie listened to her thumping footsteps as she ran away.

"This probably isn't the best time to tell you that I'm not coming to lunch next week either, is it?" Lizzie interjected.

"Are you kidding me? Lizzie that will be like, a month without Mum seeing you! She'll be mercurial!"

"Well, the good news is, you won't be there to experience it either!" She said, just as Darcy came back and resumed his position on his side of the bed. Lizzie allowed him to pull her into his arms, and sat against his chest.

"What are you talking about?" Jane asked.

Lizzie grinned, covered the mouthpiece and looked to Darcy.

"Charlie hasn't asked her about Pemberley yet," she said with an eye roll.

"Course he bloody hasn't, git. You'd better tell her, he'll undoubtedly forget," he said, smoothing her mussed bed hair. Lizzie felt her stomach flip and her heart beat pick up at the sensation of his tender attentions. She took her hand off the speaker and returned to Jane. Darcy kept stroking her hair. For a moment, Lizzie felt like a pet, but that passed when he bent the few inches and kissed the top of her head. This was comforting.

"I guess Charlie hasn't told you yet," She started, "Will and I are taking Georgiana to Pemberley this week, you and Charlie are invited to join us over the weekend. He's already agreed for you. I assumed you knew,"

Jane sighed,

"No, he must have forgot!" Then she laughed, "Good thing you told me, or I'm sure he'd come to pick me up next weekend and I'd still have no idea!" Lizzie giggled, imagining that exact scenario. It was quiet accurate.

"That sounds really nice actually," she continued, "Thank Will for inviting us,"

"She says thank you for inviting them," Lizzie directed at will, and Jane groaned.

"I keep forgetting where you are," she said, quietly, as if Darcy might hear her. "Are you sure you won't come to lunch?" she asked, in her regular voice.

"Ah no," Lizzie said, "Besides, we're taking Georgiana to the doctor today, to see how she's doing before we leave town,"

"On a Sunday?" Jane asked

"Yeah well, pay enough money…" she trailed off shooting a look at Darcy, who had in fact paid an extra fee for this afternoon's appointment.

"Of course," Jane muttered, "Well, Mum isn't going to be happy,"

"She'll get over it," Lizzie assured her, "She'll probably forget all about me before you even set the table,"

"Lizzie" Jane sighed,

"Don't pretend it's not true," Lizzie retorted, "Give daddy a kiss for me, okay?" she asked.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later. Love you Lizbiz,"

"I love you too Jane, bye,"

She hung up the phone and tossed it towards the end of the bed where it got lost in the blankets, and she nuzzled back into Darcy's arms.

"Gigi okay?" She asked

"Still asleep," he said and she nodded, he held her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

"Breakfast?" He asked. She shook her head and shuffled down the bed so that she was lying down, he followed suit.

"Not yet," she said, curling a leg around him and closing her eyes. He tucked her into his side and smiled. He could go without breakfast for a while if it meant they could stay in bed together.

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><p><strong>Remember, Reviews are motivating! =)<strong>


	29. Chapter 28

**I AM SO SORRY!**

**How much do you all hate me? It's okay, I kind of hate me too right now, so you're perfectly entitled. This chapter was hell! Hell I tell you! I had such a hard time writing it. This is like… version three or something like that. Anyway, I'm sooo sorry to keep you waiting. I will try not to let it happen again! Hopefully I find some more motivation somewhere soon.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 28<strong>

This was wrong. It was all wrong! Lizzie had been at Pemberley for all of forty-five minutes and she was already turned upside down and inside out. She was standing in this beautiful guest bedroom, which at first she'd been in awe of, beautifully decorated in creams and sunshine yellows, but now it all felt wrong! Perhaps she would have felt it sooner, maybe the apprehension would have seeped in before this point if she hadn't been so distracted all morning.

They'd left London early, and she'd been running around like a mad woman making sure they had everything, and that Georgiana was settled and comfortable in the car. The car ride itself had seemed to fly by, as she'd some how fallen asleep not long after leaving the city limits, waking up about and hour outside of their destination.

Darcy had been driving but they were in Lizzie's car, seeing as his own Aston Martin was no longer functioning after Georgiana's accident. The plan was take her BMW, which was being kept at Pemberley during her time abroad, back to the city next week so that they would both have a car until the insurance went through on the Aston. Driving a second hand Volvo must have been a blow to his ego, but Lizzie commended the fact that Will hadn't said a word, nor sneered at their travel arrangements even once.

Georgiana herself was laid out in the back, her bad leg propped up across the bench seat, and she leaned back against the car door. It was the only way she could be comfortable for the long drive to Derbyshire. Lizzie had spent the rest of the drive immersed in her book while Georgiana dozed and Darcy drove, the stereo playing softly in the background, but as they turned onto a long and leafy dirt driveway she realized they must be close and put her book away, focusing on the scenery as it passed. Georgiana sat up straighter and more alert in the back seat, anxious to be back again, at the place she had always truly considered home, and Darcy was feeling similarly, although Lizzie noticed he seemed a little tense. She didn't know it was because he feared her thoughts and opinions of his favorite place in the world.

As the car reached the top of a hill, Darcy was holding his breath, knowing that this crest in the drive, allowed the first glimpse of the house itself. And there it was, Pemberley House. Darcy felt that familiar warmth of home surround him, and with Lizzie by his side, it felt greater than ever.

"Jesus Christ, Darcy!" she cried when they reached the top of the hill. Darcy slowed down so that she could savour the view and they trailed the next few yards at a roll, he couldn't help but smile.

"I knew you came from old money!" Lizzie continued, "But this is ridiculous! You actually live here?!"

"As often as I can manage to," he said simply, still smiling. Lizzie was just shaking her head in disbelief, her mouth hanging open, slack jawed.

Her first impression of the house had been awe, the place was beautiful, a historical gem, an architectural masterpiece, nestled in the rolling green hills of the English countryside and surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens that revelled in their natural glory. It was a proud house, and obviously taken pride in by its owner. Not that she was surprised. Darcy was a man of pride. Not proud, in the sense that most people, and indeed she had for some time believed he was, but a man who took pride in his every endeavour, who was dedicated and honest and deeply caring. Like Pemberley house had awed her, Lizzie was finding that she was often in awe of it's owner these days as well.

They had made the rest of the drive to the house itself in silence, Darcy picked up the speed along the rest of the long driveway, and waited somewhat anxiously for Lizzie to voice her opinion. He slowed again as they drew into the circular driveway, that encircled a large sculpted fountain. He stopped the car and glanced over to see her staring up through the car window, her mouth hanging open slightly. He couldn't help but smirk, that, at least, he could take as a good reaction. He stopped the engine and clambered out of the car, opening the rear door and helping Georgiana out and handing her the new set of crutches her doctor had given her the day before. Now that her ribs were feeling better, she'd been given back some of her walking privileges. She could manage short, flat distances, although she found it difficult because of her arm cast, but at least it was something. She didn't feel so dependent anymore.

Georgiana hobbled towards the front stairs and Darcy looked across the roof of the car to where Lizzie had climbed out and was now standing, staring up towards the top of the building.

"Well... What do you think?" he'd asked across the top of the car, drawing her attention back to him. She was looking him straight I'm the eye when she shook her head.

"This is amazing Will, seriously. I had no idea…" she uttered, turning back to the house. His insides bubbled up with happiness at the thought of her approval, he wasn't sure why exactly, but it was suddenly very important to him that she love Pemberley as much as he did himself.

"Well, just wait until you see the rest then," he teased, walking around to her side of the car and taking her hand. He tugged her gently towards the house, pulling her to the door. Georgiana, unable to navigate the stairs with her crutches, was waiting patiently for her brother to help her, smiling as she watched the exchange between the two.

Once Darcy had placed Georgie safely on the top level of the staircase to resume her hobbling, he reclaimed Lizzie's hand and led her over to the large double doors that bore the entrance to the grand house. That was the first inkling that something felt wrong, she'd suddenly felt very out of place, and insecure at the thought of being a guest here. She didn't belong in this world at all! But looking over to the man next to her, smiling tentatively as he shared his sacred place, his real home, for her to see, she knew she'd find a way to get used to it. For him. For a brief moment, that passing feeling frightened her. But his constant gentle touch on her hand had seemed to settle her fears, for a while at least, and she knew she just had to let things play out as they would.

He'd pushed the large doors open, bearing an enormous entry foyer, with high ceilings and tall roman style columns. The corniced roof looked almost like it was glimmering in the sunlight that spilled in from the huge windows that surrounded the door and spilled over the landing at the other end of the room. Looking more closely Lizzie could see that there was actually a design painted into the cream coloured ceiling in glittering gold, she knew she would have to come back and inspect it better later because in that moment she was overcome. Every single detail so far, no matter how tiny, from the pebbled driveway to the gold leaf ceiling mural was perfect.

At the end of the foyer was a huge marble staircase leading to the upper levels, and on either side of the long room, several doorways, closed off from her view, led deeper into the house. She wondered how big this place actually was. From the front it looked huge, but inside, seeing the size of this foyer alone, she knew it had to be larger than she'd ever dreamt. Just how _rich _was Darcy anyway? She turned around from her inspection of the room to see him watching her carefully from a little way back. He looked almost anxious, and she smiled at him, hoping it would calm him down. She knew that Pemberley was his sanctuary. It was the place he'd always come to escape work and the city in all the time she'd known him, and when he was here, he was always unreachable. That was the second time the insecurity had arisen, when she realized it must be difficult for him to have her here, intruding on his sacred space. But before she could dwell on that, they'd been interrupted.

"William! Georgiana! You're home!" A voice had interrupted them, from a doorway at the back of the foyer, half hidden under the stairs, appeared a woman who looked to be in her late forties, dressed simply in black pants and a white polo shirt. She had an apron tied around her waist and there was a smudge of flour on her cheek.

"Ms Reynolds!" Georgiana squealed as she hobbled across the room. The woman called Ms Reynolds rushed forward to greet her, and shorten her path.

"Oh, you poor dear! Are you feeling alright?!" She asked, embracing Georgie. Darcy was watching on silently, a smile on his face.

"I'm fine, really" Georgiana assured her, shuffling back from the hug.

From behind her, she felt a hand on her lower back, and suddenly an anxious Darcy was pushing Lizzie forward towards the pair.

"Ms Reynolds," He said warmly, drawing the older ladies attention to them as he propelled them forward. The lady turned and let out a rather girlish squeal before skipping across to them and hugging Will.

"Oh William, I swear you get more handsome every time I see you," she said.

"I'm sure that's a lie," Will scoffed, drawing back from the hug, and smiling widely.

"Ms Reynolds, I want you to meet someone," he said, turning his body to include Lizzie in their conversation.

"This is Elizabeth Bennett, Elizabeth this is the house keeper, Ms Reynolds. She's been at Pemberley my entire life,"

"Oh, so she knows all secrets then? I'd best keep close," Lizzie teased, and Ms Reynolds bust out laughing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms Reynolds," Lizzie said, extending a hand at the laughing woman.

"And you Miss Bennett, I've heard a lot about you over the years, and please call me Maria. These two refuse to, but it does make me feel so old,"

"Well Maria, you must call me Lizzie then, Miss Bennett always makes me feel like I'm in the principals office… or the bosses…" she said liltingly,, a tiny smirk on her lips as she cast a glance at Darcy. Ms Reynolds laughed again and turned her gaze on him as well.

"I like this one Will, she must keep you on your toes," Ms Reynolds was teasing him now, and he knew she expected him to hate it as he usually did, always being so serious. But this time, he was in complete agreement.

"Funny, I like that about her too," he shot back quickly, smirking, then he bent and dropped his small carry bag with the other luggage. Maria looked slightly shocked for a brief moment, not expecting such a playfulness from him, but knowing it was a good thing so see him happy and playful, recovered her neutrality quickly.

"Lizzie, can I give you a tour?" Will had asked then, reaching out and clasping her hand, her pulled her further into the house and away from a smirking Georgiana and now smiling Ms Reynolds.

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><p>The tour of the house had both amazed and thrown her. Each room that Darcy showed her was as beautiful as the last. Tastefully decorated, the grand house still held it's historical charm, and the whole place was decorated in light colours with accents of gold, every room adorned with huge windows that spilled sunlight inside and made the whole place feel light and airy and welcoming. Even though that feeling kept bubbling up inside Lizzie, and making her feel more like an intruder, no matter how many times she told herself to relax, she couldn't feel comfortable having no idea where she stood here. And that was what she contemplated now that she was alone.<p>

She'd always known how to act around Darcy, when she'd first met him it was easy just to be herself and act naturally around him, after the disaster of her first function anger had fuelled her, and she'd acted as only an employee and nothing more. Even staying at Darcy House had been an easy transition because she was there as Georgiana's caretaker, and she knew her place, but here, at Pemberley? When Georgiana was up and around again and didn't need as much help, and after she'd spent the last few nights in Darcy's bed? She may as well have been in the middle of a thick fog, because she hadn't the foggiest idea what her role was here.

Darcy hadn't taken her on a complete tour of the house, but had shown her the main rooms she'd need to locate. The dining room, main sitting room, he'd pointed out the kitchen, but they hadn't gone down the staircase to see it. The ballroom he'd shown her as the passed one of its doorways, he said he'd thought she'd appreciate it. Which she had, it was beautiful and certainly grand and at least twice the size of the ballroom at Netherfield, with golden wood floors and a huge chandelier hanging at the center of the room from the incredibly high, and again ornately decorated, ceiling. With the huge windows at the far end, flooding in light, she was reminded of the ballroom from Beauty and the Beast, which had been one of her favourite movies growing up, she smiled at the thought of herself dancing around this room, wearing Belle's yellow gown. Dancing with… well in her imagination she was dancing with Darcy, not the beast, but the sentiment was the same.

After the ballroom Darcy showed her the library and the path to his office, so she'd be able to find him if he was working and finally he'd shown her to her room. Which was where she was now, agonizing over every last detail of the past hour. This room was beautiful, but it wasn't where she wanted to be. Deep down, she knew what she really wanted, she wanted to be down at the end of the hall, inside the room that Darcy had said was his own. After all, she'd shared his bed at Darcy House, why couldn't she share it here? Had he given her, her own guest room out of politeness, in case she didn't want to stay with him? Or had he put her in here because _he _didn't want her? She kicked her suitcase in frustration, surely it wasn't because he was sick of her. Then why was she even here in the first place?

She couldn't bear this turmoil anymore. She needed answers. And she needed to change rooms! She flung open the door to the guestroom and stomped down the hall to the _last door on the left_ and knocked on it, twice, loudly, and without waiting for a response, opened the door and swept inside.

Darcy was standing at the window on the far side of the room, looking out across the gardens, but turned around when the door flew open and Lizzie came flying in.

"This isn't going to work Darcy!" she cried, stopping short and putting her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but smile. She was awfully cute when she was mad.

"What's that Lizzie?" He asked, practically sauntering across the room, which made her even angrier. But the room took her aback for a moment. It wasn't what she was expecting at all. His room in London was all dark woods and blacks and reds, Lizzie had assumed it was his taste, and while it was beautiful and probably more modern, she'd always preferred a lighter airy feel herself. Which was precisely what this room was! White and sky blue, pine woods and cream. There was a set of large French doors open out on to a small balcony and the breeze was swirling around the room, carrying in the scent of the outdoors, and freshly mown lawn. Her gaze moved back to Darcy who now stood before her and she faltered.

"Uhh…"

"You said, something isn't going to work?" He prompted, and she was ignited again.

"Yes! That's right, this isn't going to work!"

"Care to elaborate on that?" he teased, and she reached out to slap his arm.

"The room! It's not right, none of this has been right Darcy! I don't know where I stand here, and then you put me in a guest room and I don't know! It just feels wrong!"

He frowned, but inside he felt that glimmer of hope, he'd had the room set up for her so that she had the option of her own space. Worried that he'd been suffocating her, or monopolizing her. But he _wanted _her to stay with him more than anything.

"You want to stay with me?" he asked.

"Well… I just, not if you don't want me to…" she said, a little embarrassed at her outburst. She wasn't the type of girl who acted this way over a guy, she'd never done it before, so why was she doing it now. In fact, she wasn't even sure _why _she wanted to stay in his room this badly. She mentally slapped herself.

"Look, it doesn't matter, I'm sorry, just don't worry about it," she said and went to leave the room, to leave him alone and stop acting like an imbecile. But he reached out and grabbed her gently by the upper arms and stopped her from moving. He held up one finger, indicating she should stay right where she was and he him self left the room.

Within a minute he was back, carrying her suitcase and duffle bag, which he placed inside the door, before standing upright and facing her. He held out a hand to gesture her forward.

"There, all fixed," he smirked, "Not come on, lets go and see about dinner shall we?"

"Are you sure about this Will?" she asked, walking over to him.

"No question," he smiled, "I had the guestroom set up for you incase you wanted your own space, but I like having you with me Lizzie. I _prefer _having you with me. So I'm more than sure about you staying in my room, or should I say, our room?" He smiled, and Lizzie though that he even seemed a little nervous after he'd said that.

"Anyway, in my opinion this is a much better arrangement," he smirked, then grabbed her hand in the one he'd previously offered her and tugged her out the door.

"So, dinner!" He said again, "Let's see what Ms Reynolds has in store for us hey? Then maybe I'll show you some more of the house."

Lizzie smiled, as suddenly, everything felt okay again.

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><p><strong>Please review, even though I don't deserve them when I made you wait so long, let me know that you're still with me!<strong>


	30. Chapter 29

**Well, it's confirmed, I am a terrible person. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been struggling with motivation lately. You can however, thank my new one shot (Post Break Up Shots) for putting me back in the mood to write again! If you haven't already, I'd love for you to shoot over to my profile and check it out. **

**But first, here is a new chapter of Masquerade for you! I'm sure it's not my best work, but at least it's something right? I haven't written the next few chapters yet, but I've written one a bit further on that I'm pretty excited to post, I just have to get the story there first! You can move my motivation along by leaving me a review at the end of this post!**

**PS. This has only been very quickly edited, so you might find some mistakes, if you do, I apologise in advance and I'll get around to fixing it when I can. But I'm sure you'd rather I wrote more new chapters than just keep fixing my old ones, right?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

Later that night, found Lizzie, Will and Georgiana is one of the smaller sitting rooms on the upper level of the house. Lizzie was reading, or as she'd come to accept by this point, she was pretending to read. It wasn't going very well for her however, because she was utterly distracted by the siblings in the room, who were playing a ridiculous game which consisted of cards, pick up sticks and a game clock, like the ones you use to play competitive chess. They kept calling out random words too, which mostly sounded like gobbledygook to her. She was pretty sure this was a game they'd made up themselves, and despite having watched almost three rounds now, peering over the top of her novel, she still had no idea what the rules were. Let alone the premise of the game.

But what was truly distracting her, was Will's demeanor. Seeing him interact with Georgiana like this wasn't new to her. She'd seen the pair playing games together frequently since she'd started staying at their London house. Usually those were games like snap, or Mousetrap though, and the understood those rules perfectly. But this was different, Will was completely relaxed here, there was no lingering rigidness in his posture, no tense lines around his eyes or mouth. He wasn't wearing that intense stare that so rarely left his face when he was over thinking things. No, this was Will Darcy, Lizzie realized, when he felt completely at home.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Pemberley was his sanctuary. She'd known that all along, because he'd often disappear from the office for weeks at a time, unreachable, and she knew he was at Pemberley then. What she was having trouble grasping was why she was here. Georgiana was on crutches now, and she didn't need constant supervision. She was being weaned off her medication, and she'd been bathing herself, with a garbage bag covering her casts, almost since she'd left the hospital. She didn't need a care take, which was what Lizzie was supposed to be. Yet, still, here she was, feigning interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald, while she peered over the book at her… pseudo boyfriend? Playing cards with his sister!

It was at that moment that Darcy decided to look over at her and she fumbled to turn a page and make herself look busy. She caught a glimmer of his smirk, but was determined not to look back up and be caught, although she could feel herself blushing so thought her efforts were pretty futile. Darcy didn't comment, but instead he yelled.

"CHANGA!"

At his sister, swiped a card from the deck and hit the game clock timer, causing Georgiana to pout. No, Lizzie was quite certain she'd never understand that game, and refused to look up again for at least another ten minutes, just incase Will looked at her again.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she was woken some time later, the room much darker than it had been, lit not only by the dwindling fire, and she sprawled across the chaise lounge she'd previously been reading on. Georgiana was gone, assumedly to bed, and it was Will who was sat beside her, gently brushing hair from her face as he whispered her name.

"Hey," she said, her voice thick with sleep, making her wonder how long she'd been sleeping for.

"Bed time?" he asked with a smile. She was about to agree, as she began pulling herself upright to a sitting position, but suddenly she felt wide awake and just wanted to talk with him.

"Hmm, not yet," she smiled at him, he just nodded, but didn't say anything back.

"Is Georgiana asleep?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, about an hour ago," he murmured, rubbing her leg, that was stretched out before her.

"You didn't wake me?" She asked, a tiny yawn escaped her.

"You looked too cute, sleeping there, I didn't want to disturb you,"

"So you watched me?" she teased, mirth in her voice, "That's not disturbing at all,"

He chuckled at that, and shrugged.

"Dare I even ask what that game was?" she asked, placing the book she'd been reading on the floor at his feet. He laughed again,

"I don't even know where I'd begin explaining it," he confessed, "We made it up as children, its quite ridiculous, especially given Georgie is so much younger that me. Games made up by a five year old and a fourteen year old don't really make much sense." He said, "But I'll explain it if you like?"

She shook her head, it was his and GiGi's game, and she'd intruded enough on their sanctuary for one day.

"Maybe some other time," she smiled. He nodded his agreement and stood up from the chaise.

"It's quite late, are you ready for bed now?" he asked, when she agreed, he held out a hand to help her up which she took. He didn't let go after helping her up, but he led her from the sitting room and in the direction of the bedrooms. In the hallway, just before the reached the door to what should have been Lizzie's room, he paused and cleared his throat.

"Are you… sure you wouldn't rather stay in your own room?" He asked nervously. Lizzie didn't even dignify him with an answer to that, simply tugged on his hand, which still held hers, and pulled him further down the hall to his own door.

"Positive," she whispered as they reached it, and he pushed the door open, letting her enter first.

* * *

><p>The next morning was Tuesday, and when Will woke up he was alone in his bed. The drapes were still drawn but the sunlight was slowly creeping in around the edges and he decided he should probably get up, at least to make sure Lizzie hadn't gotten lost somewhere on her way to the kitchen.<p>

She'd clearly showered, because when he went into his bathroom her scent still lingered in the moist air. He let himself savor the fruity smell of her body wash and the vanilla of her perfume while he brushed his teeth and contemplated the simple domesticity of it all. He'd never fancied himself one for domesticity, but this morning, he decided, he quite liked it. Those kinds of feelings had been creeping up on him a lot for the past week or so. Whenever he'd come home to find Lizzie making dinner, or woken up to see her sitting in the lounge room in her pajamas, he'd had to take a second to pause and revel in the simple pleasure it made him feel. So no, he'd never been one for domesticity, but Elizabeth Bennett seemed to be changing that, and doing so at a surprisingly rapid rate.

He'd forgone a shower for now, and slipped on a t-shirt and bathrobe to cover the boxer shorts he'd slept in, and was padding, sock footed towards the kitchen. The sound of Ms Reynolds iPod, playing through the kitchen docking station greeted him as he turned through the halls of the lower floor.

The kitchen was in it's original position from the days when Pemberley was a grand country estate, not that it still wasn't, but so many people who own these houses were making them over in 21st century style, which Will abhorred. That wasn't to say things at Pemberley hadn't been updated for the creature comforts, but he wasn't ruining the integrity of the place by ripping out all the interiors and blocking off the older rooms like some of his neighbors had. He shuddered at the thought.

The kitchen was sunken, and mostly below ground, in what was once the servants quarters. It had it's own entrance from the back of the house down a set of cobblestone steps, and narrow windows ran across the top of the exterior wall. The hallways in this part of the house were narrow and winding, like a labyrinth running beneath the entire house, openings popping up all over the place so that the servants could come and go unnoticed. Back then anyway, these days the house staff was welcome to go wherever they needed to.

Will knew all of these corridors by heart from exploring them throughout his childhood, when he'd spent endless hours navigating them and hiding in them, using them to get from one part of the house to another without his father knowing. So it was with ease that he now followed the quickest path to the kitchen, towards that swinging 1940's soundtrack that Ms Reynolds was so fond of.

When he came into the room, a woman was crooning about 'just being in love' through the speaker system, and the too actual woman were laughing together as they made breakfast. Ms Reynolds was beating a bowl of eggs with a whisk and Lizzie stood at the central island bench chopping an assortment of vegetables.

"Good morning," he said as he entered the room, a grin overtaking his face seeing Lizzie there, stood in her rainbow coloured socks, denim shorts and a fitted white tank top. Her hair was still damn from her shower, and hung around her face as she chopped.

"Good morning William," Ms Reynolds greeted him, stopping her whisking and fetching him a cup of coffee. It was in his hands before he'd even managed to sit on one of the bench stools.

"Hey," Lizzie was giving him a shy smile as he sat down.

"You know, you don't have to cook here Lizzie," he said, taking an experimental sip of the coffee. It was perfect.

"I did try to tell her that," Ms Reynolds interjected, "She's very stubborn Will,"

Will smirked, "Yes, I know," he said, "It's one of the things I like most about her," Lizzie poked her tongue out at him and tossed a cube of carrot at him, it bounced off his cheek and landed on the counter.

"I just want to help out," Lizzie said, feeling self conscious now. Will was rich, and this house had a whole staff of people working in it, just waiting at their beck and call to do whatever they asked. Lizzie didn't want to be waited on, but suddenly she felt like she shouldn't be doing this if it was someone else's job.

"You can do whatever you like Lizzie," Will said softly, making her feel like he could read her thoughts. She smiled weakly and moved on to chopping broccoli.

Lizzie had woken by five that morning, after her impromptu nap on the chaise the night before, and after tossing and turning, as much as she could without waking Will, she'd given up and gone to take a shower. When she finally found her way to the kitchen almost an hour later, Ms Reynolds was already up too, and in the middle of what looked to be several jobs in the kitchen.

"Morning!" Lizzie had said brightly, Ms Reynolds jumped, a little startled having not expected anyway up and about so early.

"Oh! Elizabeth! You startled me!" she'd gasped, she had knocked over a bag of flour and it had spilled out across the bench top.

"Oh god! Sorry Ms Reynolds!" Lizzie cried, rushing over. Ms Reynolds herself had stopped and put her hands on her hips, she was giving Lizzie a disapproving look, and Lizzie found it had to believe she would be reprimanded for accidently causing her to knock flour over. That was exactly what she needed, to upset Will's life long housekeep on only the second day of their visit. Not.

"Elizabeth," she scolded, "Didn't I tell you to call me Maria!" She said with a smile and Lizzie laughed at her, or along with her anyway.

"Of course, I'm sorry, Maria, let me help you clean this up," she righted the flour bag and started to sweep the spillage up. Maria tried to shoo her away, but Lizzie was insistent and soon enough she gave up trying to stop her helping, they were laughing together as they made breakfast for Will and GiGi.

"What's this you're listening to?" Lizzie asked as she selected a knife to chop vegetables for the omelettes they were planning.

"Rosemary Clooney," Maria answered wistful smile, "My mother and grandmother used to play her records all the time when I was growing up," she sighed, "Music is one of the few things I allow myself to have from those days,"

"Sorry," Lizzie apologized, feeling bad for asking about something that had turned out to be rather personal.

"Don't you apologise Elizabeth," Maria reprimanded her, "I don't deny that I had a falling out with my family, but it was many years ago now. It wasn't always bad, and these songs, they remind me of the good times," she was smiling again now.

"Well, I like it," Lizzie said, gesturing to the iPod dock with her elbow, because her hands were full of veggies now.

"Good, I wish more people did these days,"

It wasn't long after that that Will appeared, he was wearing a robe over his pyjamas, and white sports socks on his feets. Lizzie noted that there was also a t-shirt now covering his formerly bare chest under that robe.

* * *

><p>Darcy was watching her, rather intently for someone who was just shopping vegetables. She kept flicking her gaze up but it didn't seem to deter him. Even when Maria started talking to him about estate business he didn't look away. Lizzie tuned out the estate stuff, it wasn't really her business and she didn't want to pry. Even though Will didn't seem to be all that worried about her overhearing anything. Instead she moved her attention to the music that was still playing in the background. It was pleasant to listen to, the woman had a soothing voice, she decided. Her attention was drawn to the lyrics when the woman sung a familiar name.<p>

'_Willie, I love you my darlin', I love you with all of my heart. Tomorrow we might have been married, but ramblin' has kept us apart. Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes…'_

Will was staring at her still, his suddenly topical _brown eyes_ boring into hers. His gaze, coupled with the song that was playing got her thinking.

Will had beautiful brown eyes, they were warm and giving, she couldn't help but wonder where their relationship might have been if it hadn't been interrupted three years ago. Would they be in love? Would they even, maybe, be married? Or would it have crashed and burned anyway? Would she be out of a job and a relationship?

Will asked her a question and drew her out of her musings. The rest of the song went unheard as Will started asking her what she wanted to do today. He had to take care of some things with his estate manager, who was coming for a meeting in an hour or so, but he'd be done my lunch and wanted to show her more of the property. She decided to spend the morning with Georgiana, and mentioned she might go for a little walk, and promised to meet him back here at lunch time. He seemed pretty happy to hear that and when he finished his breakfast and left to take a shower they could hear him whistling happily down the halls.

"I don't remember the last time William was this at ease," Maria said, taking Lizzie's empty plate with a warm smile. She wanted to ask what she meant by that, but Maria had turned on the sink and Lizzie decided to just let it go. She took Georgiana's plate out of the warmer and placed it on a tray with some juice, coffee and fresh fruit and taking the tray, ventured out to find Georgiana's bedroom.

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><p>Will was in his office in the back wing of Pemberley house, his meeting with his estate manager had been quick and painless as they went over details for the next quarter. He was writing up notes about their meeting when the door swung open and the last person he was expecting to see, his cousin Richard, came bouncing in, unannounced and without knocking.<p>

"Cousin!" his loud voice boomed, breaking the gentle silence that Will had been enjoying for the last fifteen minutes. He supposed he should feel lucky he'd even had those moments alone if Richard was in the house. Ms Reynolds must have distracted him with baked goods as he came in, he thought he saw a crumb on his cousins lip.

"You're a right devil aren't you?!" Richard continued, flopping into one of the wingbacks across from Will's desk.

"Excuse me?" Darcy asked, marking his spot in the books and looking up at his cousin.

"You and Lizzie!" Richard exclaimed, "You finally closed the deal huh, cuz?"

"Good lord Rich, how long have you actually been here?" Darcy asked, jotting down one final note and closing his ledger.

"About an hour," his cousin shrugged, "Maria said you were meeting with Smith so I went to visit with Georgie. Can you imagine my shock when I went into the music room to find Elizabeth Bennett sitting there playing a duet with your sister!" he exclaimed with a loud bark.

"Scratch that actually, why are you even here?" Darcy quipped, avoiding any conversation about Elizabeth. Explaining that particular relationship to Richard, at the stage it was currently at, was far too difficult for him to comprehend.

"Why am I here? Why?" Richard cried, "Will, it might be _your _company, but you can't just breeze through the offices that _I run_ and not even say hello!"

"You were in a meeting," Darcy shrugged, "We just stopped off for five minutes on the way here,"

"Yes, well, Charlotte told me you'd 'stopped off'," he was using air quotes, "so I knew you must have been here, which made me wonder what you were hiding from this time! Now I find out that you're not the one hiding! You're hiding someone else!"

"Rich, I am not _hiding _Lizzie," Will sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"You're calling her Lizzie!" Richard yelled, "That's it, I'm moving back to the London office! I'm missing far too much all the way out here at Lambton! When exactly did Lizzie cease to be _Miss Bennett_?" he teased

"Richard," Darcy warned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Daaarrrrccce," Richard whined, "Come on, don't hold out on me! I know how long you've been crushing on Liz, what's changed? Why is she upstairs in rainbow-socked feet playing piano with your sister, instead of sitting in her office sticking your voodoo doll with cushion pins?" he teased.

Now, Darcy knew that Lizzie had never actually used a voodoo doll in his image to stick pins at him, but he also knew the point Richard was trying to make. Last time his cousin had seen the two of them, early on the night of the benefit, Darcy and Lizzie has been sworn enemies, loathsome of each other for discretions long since past. And for all Richard knew, she was _suddenly _a guest at Pemberley, where no one but family had been invited to since his father passed away. Richard didn't know about all the careful progress they had made to get here, all the air they'd had to clear to reach this point… he didn't know that they'd spent the last few nights in the same bed. He almost blushed thinking of how his cousin would tease him about that and was rather glad he'd been keeping Richard out of the loop.

His cousin was sitting across from him still, slunk back low in the chair, his right leg was propped up on his left knee and his elbows rested on the arms of the wingback, fingertips met in front of his mouth and he gazed over them at Darcy, an almost expectant expression on his face. Darcy, never one to back down from a challenge, especially with Richard, whom he had always been rather competitive with, stared straight back at him. Making it clear he'd be sharing no juicy details with his cousin.

The stare down lasted for about two minutes before Richard relented. He always had been the more impatient one.

"Fine!" he cried, standing up and throwing his hands in the air.

"Fine, don't tell me!" he repeated, "But you can't keep it from me forever Will, I know something's happened!" he laughed boisterously and bounded out of the room. Will shook his head, amused, Richard would never change, and Will was glad of that. His cousin may have been an annoying git and a pain in the arse sometimes, but he was still his cousin, and his oldest friend, and Darcy knew he only wanted Will to be happy.

"COME ON OLD MAN! LET'S EAT LUNCH!" Richard bellowed from down the hall, Darcy was already half way to the study door.

"Hey!" He yelled, offended, "I am_ literally _only two weeks older than you!"

At this, Richard began cackling like a mad man and Will decided that he had no other choice but to chase him to the kitchen and give him a good whack across the head.

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><p><strong>I apologise again for the long break between updates. But I hope you'll still leave me a review =) even if it is just to say how cross you are with me!<strong>


	31. Chapter 30

**Hello friends! This chapter was a difficult one to write, and it totally ran off on it's own accord. So much so that I almost deleted it all, but then I couldn't figure out another way to do it. So... yeah. You'll probably hate me at the end too, apologies in advance =P**

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><p><strong>Chapter 30<strong>

It was Wednesday morning and Lizzie was hiding in one of the downstairs sitting rooms, perched on a love seat, laptop open in front of her. She was facing the windows, so didn't notice as the door slowly, and silently, swung open and someone tiptoed into the room behind her. She was concentrated on the screen in front of her, when,

"RAR!" Richard screamed, grabbing her shoulders and scaring her senseless, she almost fell out of her chair.

"RICH!" She cried, picking herself up again, "What are you doing?"

"I'm borrrrrred, Lizzie!" He complained, jumping over the back of the love seat to sit beside her, Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"You're a big boy Rich, I'm sure you could find some way to occupy yourself,"

"But what if I want you to occupy me?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows. She snorted, and turned back to her computer.

"Then you're out of luck Rich, I'm busy," she said, he leaned across and peered at her screen.

"Work?" He exclaimed, spying the spreadsheets she had been looking at, "That's against the rules, Missy. No work at Pemberley. Does Darcy know you're working?" he asked, taking her computer away.

"No, he doesn't. That's why I'm hiding. I have to do something Rich," she snatched her computer back, "And don't you think that I don't know what Darcy is doing when he locks himself away in his study every morning,"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rich asked, feigning ignorance, and doing to poorly.

Lizzie just gave him a look that said 'you don't fool me' and Rich laughed, but said nothing. Lizzie turned back to her work while Richard sat beside her, twiddling his thumbs.

"Stop staring at me," she muttered, about ten minutes later. When he was still staring at her a minute later, she snapped her head around to look at him and was instantly cautious of the cheeky grin he wore on his face.

"What?" she asked warily.

"Oh, nothing," he lied, biting his lip to stop from giggling like a school girl.

"Don't you lie to me Rich, what are you smiling for?" she asked again, putting her laptop aside and turning to face him.

He was silent another few seconds, still gnawing on his lip until he couldn't contain himself any longer. A huge smile lit his face, as he burst.

"You like Darcy!" he sing-songed, breaking down into giggles. Lizzie rolled her eyes, honestly, Rich was so childish sometimes.

"Oh my god, is that honestly why you came in here?!" she exclaimed.

"You're not denying it!" He cried.

"Is there even a point in denying it?" Lizzie asked, knowing she was spoiling his fun by not playing coy. He pouted, for a split second, then laughed again.

"Nope! Because I saw you!" he mock whispered.

"Saw me where?" She mimicked him.

"Saw you coming out of his bedroom!" Rich cried, leaping up and out of her arms reach before she could hit him.

She looked stricken, he realized, and suddenly he felt bad for teasing her.

"It's... we're not..." she sighed, "It's complicated...?" she said, and it sounded like a question.

Rich was humbled, and came back to sit beside her, all manner of teasing gone. It hadn't occurred to him, in his excitement, that while Darcy was so happy about his new relationship developments, Lizzie might not have felt the same. It was quite clear to him that Lizzie did like his cousin, even possible that she loved him, but now it occurred to him that she might be concerned about their developing relationship. Darcy was, after all, her boss, and his taciturn demeanour towards Lizzie over the past few years would surely have some lingering impressions, no matter how warm and open he was with her now. It was so new, that one bad mood could put paid to it, and that was the last thing anyone wanted.

Richard may have been immature, but he liked to think himself capable of acting like an adult on occasion, and this was one of those times.

Rich settled into the love seat with her and gave her a small smile to ease her nerves.

"I'm sorry," he said with sincerity, "I didn't mean to upset you, you know I can't resist a good teasing,"

Lizzie smirked, yes she knew that, because she was the same, and she and Richard had spend many an hour at functions or in boring meetings banding together in such endeavours.

"It's alright," she sighed, "It's been, interesting I suppose. Everything with Will changed so suddenly..." she paused and looked up at her friend, worried that he might share these thoughts with his cousin.

"I won't tell him anything you don't want me to," he promised, reading her expression.

"I do like him, I really, really do," she confessed, "And I guess that scares me a little, because my feelings towards him changed so suddenly and so completely. I didn't think it was possible. Yet, here I am, and I'm sleeping in his bed and I'm missing him when he's not around... but I'm still, worried I guess," she sighed

"Well, what are you worried about?" Rich asked, wanting to do anything he could to help his friends, who in his opinion were perfectly matched.

"I'm worried about getting in too deep too fast, I'm worried that my feelings aren't strong enough. They came up so suddenly, what if they change again suddenly? I'm worried because I don't want to hurt anyone, including myself. I'm scared that... that if it didn't work out, I'd not only have a broken heart, but I'd be out of a job... he's still my boss Rich, and I've always sworn not to get involved with people I work with. Yet, here I am... and this isn't just a co-worker, he..."

Rich reached out and grabbed her hand, which was resting on the back of the chair as she sat facing him.

"I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that no matter what happens between you and Will, you'll always have a job at Darcy Enterprises," he said with a smile, "Will wouldn't throw you out, but I can also tell you, that I'm quite positive that my cousin is falling in love with you Lizzie, so I don't believe you have to worry about that. You know his history, you know that he's liked you since the moment he met you..."

Lizzie nodded, he was right about that at least.

"And as for your feelings," he smiled, "just listen to what's inside you Lizzie, your heart will tell you who you love and..."

There was a click from across the room, the sound of the door as it shut, and it cut off the end of Richard's sentence as they both looked towards the door. No one was there.

"I must have left it open a crack and the wind blew it shut," he shrugged, letting his hand slip from over hers as he gestured to the open window, that was indeed letting in a gentle breeze.

Neither of them thought any more of it as they allowed the conversation to move onto other things. Less emotionally draining things.

* * *

><p>After Rich had left her, she'd gone back to her work and hadn't realized how late it was until Jane had phoned her at five that afternoon. After making plans for her and Charlie's arrival on Friday morning, Lizzie packed up her work things and returned them to her suitcase in Darcy's bedroom before going to find the rest of the party. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, Georigana was asleep in her room, but Lizzie couldn't find Darcy anywhere. His study was empty, the sitting rooms as well, Maria was getting dinner prepared in the kitchen, but hadn't seen either of the guys in a few hours. Deciding they must both be out on the grounds, she grabbed her cardigan and went to find them.<p>

It was Richard who found her first.

"Lizzie!" He yelled from across the pond, drawing her attention from where she'd been looking in the other direction.

"Hey! I've been looking for you!" She yelled back. He made to jog around to her and she walked towards him, they met almost half way around the body of water.

"Where's Will?" she asked, having expected them to be together. Richard shrugged.

"I've been looking for him all afternoon, I ran into him in the hall way after I left you before and he just walked off without a word. I didn't think my teasing had pissed him off that much, I went after him to apologise but never found him. I've just been down to the stables. All of the horses are in their stalls so he's hasn't ridden out. I have no idea where he's gone." His speech had gotten her worried, when she'd seen him this morning he'd asked to see her at lunch time. But he'd never come to find her. Now he'd vanished and not told anyone where he was going.

"Do you think everything is okay?" she asked, brows furrowed.

"I can't imagine why not, I think he'd just annoyed that I'm here getting in the way," Rich shrugged, "I was going to apologise and say goodbye. I think I'll head out in the morning. This was supposed to be your holiday with Darce, and I'm being a pest," he chuckled.

"If you think so, you know him better than I do,"

"Hmm... I'm not sure about that," Rich teased again, to which Lizzie reached out and punched him in the arm.

"HEY!" He cried, reaching towards her in retaliation. she squealed and turned to run away.

"RACE YOU!" She yelled back over her shoulder, running up the sloping grass towards the house.

"NO FAIR! HEAD START!" Richard yelled back.

Lizzie had almost made it to the main steps at the front of the house before he caught up to her, and in fact, caught her. Wrapping his arms around her upper body and trapping her arms at her sides, he cackled with breathless laughter as he carried her up the steps. He turned and put her down behind him, and then skipped through the front doors.

"I win!" He chorused.

"You cheated!" She called back, unable to hold back her laughter. Richard had managed to cheer her up and make her forget her worries in a matter of moments, she was grateful he was here to do so. She had no idea what she would have done with Darcy acting this way if she'd been here with him alone.

Darcy kept up this mysteriousness with his late arrival at dinner, not joining them in the dining room until they were all almost finished with their plates, and when he did join them, he was brooding. Staring at his plate as he pushed the food around, actually eating very little of it. He said almost nothing, while the rest of the party continued their animated conversation. It was Georgiana who sensed the mood first, and tried to fix her brother's dower mood. He'd been casting glances down the table at a laughing Lizzie ever since he sat down, and she was sure he just wanted to be alone with her. So when Richard was the first to finish his dinner, she took the opportunity to make it happen, putting down her cutlery, she asked him to help her upstairs to her room, feigning tiredness despite the fact that she'd slept all afternoon.

Unable to deny his younger cousin anything, Richard was quick to agree, and so it was that Lizzie was left alone in the dining room, with a very moody, and very silent Darcy.

"So, I hardly saw you today," she said after they'd spent a few long minutes in tense silence. He looked across the table at her for a moment, before looking back to his plate.

"No," he said, trailing off and not saying any more. Leaving Lizzie confused, it was been a long time since she'd encountered this Darcy. Almost two years in fact, since he'd stopped avoiding her at work and started stringing enough sentences together to warrant a conversation.

"I think I'll go for a walk in the gardens tomorrow, I still haven't seen so much of this place," she tried again. To this, all he did was nod. Only concerning her further. Unable to form any more words, she sat staring at him, as he stared at his plate for another few minutes before she couldn't stand it any more, she stood suddenly and moved towards the door.

"Well, it's late," she said, even though it wasn't late at all, when he didn't reply, she left the room more than a little irritated at him, and stomped upstairs to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>She tried to stay awake, to talk to him when he finally came to bed, but she soon found herself, exhausted from her anger, falling asleep in his overly comfortable bed. When she woke up the next morning, she was still alone, and it was painfully obvious to Lizzie, that she had been all night. She threw on her lightweight satin robe to cover her nightgown and went to smack Darcy out of whatever funk he'd gotten himself into yesterday.<p>

She burst into his study without knocking, ready to yell and scream, but there was no body there. She had been sure that she would find him there, but his desk chair was empty. As she turned to leave, she spied the long lounge chair along the other wall, sporting a pillow and a blanket, crumpled at one end.

"Lizzie!" Darcy's voice surprised her.

"You slept here last night?!" She asked, incredulous. He didn't respond, he face remained passive and Lizzie felt herself falling.

"What's going on Darcy?" she asked, he flinched slightly at her harsh tone and use of his last name, but he still couldn't speak.

"UGH!" She cried at his silence, "You've got to be kidding me! Fuck, Darcy, if you've changed your bloody mind, you could have at least told me! Just, god, I can't even talk to you right now! I'll just leave!" She pushed past him and out the door, still talking to herself "What an idiot!" she was cursing herself. It took Will about five seconds to recover from the shock before he went to follow her. He called after her as he stepped into the hall. She was almost at the other end, turning towards the stairs.

"ELIZABETH!" He yelled, desperation in his voice. She threw up a hand in reply and kept walking.

"LIZZIE!" He cried again, but she didn't turn around.

"There you are!" Richard cried from behind him, stopping Will from chasing after Lizzie. Darcy threw a quick glare at his cousin then retreated to his study. But Richard just followed him.

"Leave me alone Richard, I'm busy," Will barked as he rounded his desk, causing Richard to pick up on his mood at last.

"Hey! What have I done?" He asked, baffled, Will had been in one of his moods for a while now, he'd expected him to come out of it by now. Darcy glared at him.

"Stay away from Elizabeth," he practically snarled, shocking his cousin.

"What are you talking about? I was coming to say goodbye! I'm leaving, what makes you think I'm... what do you even think I'm doing with Lizzie?"

"I saw you Richard, you know how I felt about her, can't you let me have anything to myself?! You've always done this! But Lizzie is OFF LIMITS!" he yelled.

Richard stared at him for a long moment, unsure of what has caused this outburst, but then it clicked.

"It wasn't the wind!" he said, more to himself than to Darcy.

"What?" Darcy asked, with a shake of his head.

"It was you closing the door to the blue sitting room yesterday, what exactly did you hear Darce?"

"Enough,"

"Clearly not, Darce, for gods sake, I wasn't trying to put the moves on your girlfriend! We were talking about you!" Richard laughed.

"You? What?"

"Darce, you're so thick sometimes! And frankly I'm a little offended! How could you think I'd try and steal Lizzie from you? After all this time! I know how you _feel _about her. I was trying to figure out how she feels about you!"

Darcy was rendered speechless again.

"She was confused about your relationship, I was trying to nudge her in the right direction, YOUR direction!" Richard exclaimed.

"Oh god," Darcy paled, sinking further into his wing back.

"What?" Rich asked, still a little jovial about Darcy's insane presumptions.

"I may have made a big mistake," Darcy admitted.

"How big?" Rich asked.

"I'm about to loose her, big," Darcy exclaimed, standing up suddenly, his chair nearly toppled over, but he didn't even stop to steady it, instead he legged it out of the study and followed Lizzie's earlier path to the staircase, taking them two at a time in his hurry to reach her.

"I'm sorry!" he practically yelled as he bust into their bedroom, Lizzie, furiously wiped traitorous tears away from her face, but didn't face him, her suitcase was half packed on the bed and Darcy's heart fell.

"Please, don't leave," he pleaded, crossing over to her and grasping her arm.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't!" She cried, pulling away from him

"Because... I..." he faltered, "Lizzie... I..."

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><p><strong>Yeh, that's right, I'm leaving it there. Love me? Hate me? Why don't you review and tell me!<strong>


	32. Chapter 31

**Can you believe it? An update already? I don't think I've ever been this fast before! But maybe that's because almost this entire chapter was written about three months ago! It just took us a while to get to it =P**

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><p><strong>Chapter 31<strong>

"I…"

He couldn't say it.

He wanted to say 'I love you', but the words wouldn't come out, instead they stuck in his throat like a lump making him feel like he'd just eaten a big spoonful of peanut butter. He swallowed against his dry mouth and tried again.

"Because I'm an idiot, and I never meant to upset you," he said instead, grasping her hand, "And I haven't changed my mind. I'm sorry I blocked you out, but, I..." he stopped. He wasn't sure if he could confess to her what he'd really thought. How would that look to her? But realised he needed to, that he had to come clean and tell her everything, even if it was embarrassingly idiotic of him. He pulled her to sit beside him on the bed and sighed.

"I overheard you speaking with Richard yesterday in the sitting room, he was holding your hand... I jumped to conclusions. It was stupid of me, I just, I saw him touching you, telling you to choose who you loved. It was petty jealously... It upset me, it made me angry at Richard, I realise now that I over reacted," he looked up to meet her gaze, but he couldn't read her expression, "I don't know what else to say Lizzie, I was an idiot, and I'm so sorry..." he trailed off. She sat there silent, watching him for what felt like an eternity.

"Do you honestly think I would do that?" She asked, her voice uneven, "God Will, after everything we've talked about? After everything we've done... I'm sleeping in you bed every night Will, do you realise how it feels that you doubt me?"

"I know, I'm sorry, but honestly it wasn't like that. It was all because of Richard. It didn't occur to me how it would be for you. Rich and I have grown up together, we had to share everything. We had all the same friends, he would always copy me and get the same toys, or dress like me. And let's just say, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd dated someone I'd already gone out with. It wasn't about _you _Lizzie, and I didn't think to make that clear."

She didn't speak and it drove him crazy that he didn't know what she was thinking.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. Please don't leave me Lizzie," he pleaded, she let out a small sigh.

"Alright," she agreed, "I'll stay,"

Darcy let out an obvious sigh of relief and couldn't hold back his smile, he pulled her into a hug which she returned, clinging to him as he held her body close to his.

"Will, don't take this the wrong way," she whispered, "But would you mind if I had a little while to myself?"

He pulled back, the hurt plain in his eyes, but he nodded.

"Of course," he said, standing up and giving her some distance, even though he didn't want to let her go, "I really am sorry Lizzie," he said again, just in case that was why she was pushing him away. She smiled.

"I know, and I forgive you. It's just that I was so angry, and upset, I need a little while to let that go. But I do forgive you,"

"Alright," he agreed heading towards the door, "I'll make it up to you Lizzie, I want you to know how much you mean to me," and then with a lingering look, he left.

Lizzie quickly re-unpacked her things and returned her bags to the corner of the room. Her thoughts were still reeling a little over the conversation she'd just had. At first, she had thought he'd been about to say something else, and was sort of glad that he hadn't. Even though her heart swelled up a little at the idea that he might... feel that way… Even her subconscious wasn't able to say the words. No, If he'd told her then, that he loved her, she probably wouldn't have been able to accept it and then everything really would have fallen apart.

She had been hurt at first that he could think she'd walk out on him, especially with his own cousin! But soon after, she'd realised that she hadn't exactly shared much of how she felt about him, he was pretty much flying blind in terms of her part in their relationship. That had lessened the blow a little, and made her think about things too, firstly about how she _did _feel, and secondly about how she showed it. That made her realise she'd been doing a pretty poor job of it.

Sure, she was sleeping in his bed every night, but they weren't _sleeping together. _She'd thought she wasn't ready to re-establish a physical relationship with him. But that wasn't it, and she knew that now. She was insecure, hadn't she admitted that to Richard? So subconsciously, not sleeping with Will had been her attempt to safe guard herself. Something she was slapping herself for now, because she realised that she really hadn't been giving Darcy any encouragement. Now after his confession about Richard, she realised she wasn't the only one who was insecure about things, and part of that was her fault. She'd already decided that she was going to give this relationship a real shot, so she realised she actually had to DO that. It wasn't enough to just exist in it, she had to participate in it.

And she needed to clear her head.

It was a nice day outside, so she decided to go for a walk and explore the gardens. The fresh air would do her good, and when she came back, she could start at fixing things with Will.

* * *

><p>Behind the house, off in the direction where the property spanned for acres... More than Lizzie cared the fathom, there was a pretty rose garden, with a large paved courtyard in its center. At one end, a staircase of white stone stepped up to an ornately carved archway, with climbing roses growing entwined in its frame. Beyond this, after another large area of paved white stone was a rather spacious field of grass that spanned out until it met the rugged line of trees. Lizzie found herself drawn to this garden now, in her time of anguish, still drowning in the thoughts of her own mistakes with Will, and the misunderstanding that morning. The rose garden was calming and she soon found herself feeling more relaxed.<p>

She was now lazing in the warmth of the sun as she sat on one of the wrought iron benches near the archway, she was lost in her own thoughts, and not all of them were dwelling on the catastrophe of that morning, but were focused on the man himself. She had lost track of the time, half dozing on her bench and savouring the good weather, when Darcy came to find her.

"Ahh, I see you've discovered my favorite area of the gardens," he said, coming across her.

Basking in the sun, her eyes closed against the glare, she hadn't seen him enter the rose garden and make his way up the stairs to her, it wasn't until he spoke and his shadow crossed her that she opened her eyes and realized he was with her.

"Hey!" she said, sitting up straighter, a smile on her face. One that seemed to cross her lips quite often recently, the past 24 hours or so excluded, whenever Darcy was in her presence.

"Sorry, I lost track of time!" she apologized, seeing the sun was now a lot higher in the sky that it had been when she'd left the house.

He shook his head, unconcerned and walked over to the archway, standing beneath it, looking out across the garden, he smiled, memories flitting across his consciousness.

"This is where my parents got married," he said after a moment, turning to face her. She perked up with interest.

"When I was a little boy, before she passed away, I'd always find my mother sitting out here, just sitting, enjoying the garden. This was their favorite place to be, Pemberley, and this rose garden," he recalled.

He held out a hand and gestured for her to join him, she rose from her seat and made her way over, standing beside him under the arch. He pointed back over the garden and she followed his finger. The grass sloped upwards slightly at that end of the garden, and the house sat atop the incline.

"From this spot," he started again, "you can see almost the entire house. And up there, that window, that's the master bedroom. So my parents could always look out their window, no matter the season, and remember their wedding day."

Lizzie smiled, looking up at his face, he still looked off towards the house,

"They were quite romantic your parents," she murmured, and he nodded his agreement, a sad smile on his face,

"When my mother died, a part of my dad died with her. I think that's mostly the reason why we moved to London. This had always been home, but my father couldn't bear to look out his window and see this garden anymore. It made him too sad... I was only ten, Georgie was about one, and he just couldn't bear to be here. But this is still my favorite spot." he said, they were silent for a while, while he relived his memories, and Lizzie's heart went out to that little boy who'd lost his mother.

"I always thought I'd get married here too," he mused, speaking very softly. Lizzie snapped her head to look at him, and he was so far away that she was sure he didn't know what he'd just said, and something in her wouldn't allow her to bring it up and verify. But her head was in a spin.

Darcy wanted to get married? Here? She felt a little faint.

She wasn't sure how long it was after that when he stopped his musings and turned to her, back in the present.

"Ms Reynolds has made us a picnic," he said, smiling, "I want to show you some where else special. But it's a little hike, a you up for that?"

"Bring it on," she smirked, you could bet she was up for it, she was in this now, and from this day forth, she was participating. So she wanted to know everything there was to know about this man, and for him to know everything about her, and for the first time in he life, that thought didn't scare her. He clasped her hand, and they left the wedding garden together.

* * *

><p>Darcy had taken her to the other side of the house, where the landscape was more rugged and the property ran into woodlands. He led her onto a tiny trail in the trees that she hadn't even seen and they slowly hiked their way up the small incline. It was probably half an hour that they were hiking, not talking much, unless Darcy pointed out a spot on the trail that held some significance to a story or moment of his youth. And she listened intently, eventually the trees started to clear and more light began to seep in through the leaves above until they came to a small clearing in the woods.<p>

A little field of soft green grass, dotted with the color of wildflowers, just starting to bloom for spring. In the middle of the clearing there was a large flat rock, moss growing around its sides, but perfectly clean on top, just at the perfect height to sit on, and large enough to lie down on. Perhaps even for two. Lizzie, who had been holding Darcy's hand, dropped it from her grasp and ventured further into the clearing, looking around the almost perfect circle that nature had formed here. The large trees of the woodland absolutely surrounded it, but this cleaning was void of any plant larger that the wildflower grasses.

"What do you think?" Darcy asked, sounding apprehensive.

"Did somebody make this?" she asked, still a little awed.

"No. It's all the work of mother nature, I found this clearing when I was younger, the first time we came back here after the London move. Trying to escape my fathers watchful eye," he laughed and Lizzie turned to face him now, for where she stood a few meters away.

"No one else knows about it, I've never shown anyone. Not even Georgiana," he admitted, and Lizzie's heart fluttered. Yet he was sharing it with her? She felt flush. What was this man doing to her?

"Why are you showing me?" she asked.

"Because I said I'd make it up to you. You're different Lizzie, you're special," he said staring intently into her eyes, and Lizzie could tell there was something more to the end of that sentence, but she was afraid to know what it was, so she let it go. He strode to her side and grabbed her hand, leading her to the big flat rock in the center of the clearing. When they reached it, he started to unpack all the fixings that Ms Reynolds had put together for their picnic lunch.

"This reminds me of the picnics I used to have growing up," Lizzie pondered aloud as they ate. Ms Reynolds had packed up a basket full of sandwich meats, crusty bread rolls, fruit, butter cake and homemade lemonade which Darcy had laid out on the soft plaid blanket he'd brought along. Lizzie was sitting with her legs out in front of her, leaning back on one arm to prop herself up as she sipped on cold lemonade with the other. Darcy was laying in the opposite direction to her, on his stomach, arms holding his torso upright so that he could more easily see her face bathed in the yellow sunlight.

"Tell me about them," he asked, breaking a grape from the bunch and popping it in his mouth.

Lizzie smiled at the reminiscence.

"Jane and I used to pack up a basket, and sneak off together, to this little clearing we found in the woods behind out house. Sort of like this," she gestured around them, "But only about an eighth of the size," she teased.

"We used to think we were so cleaver, sneaking away with the best of the pantry stock," she smiled, "Our dad found out though, after about the third time, he found our hiding place… we thought we were going to get in so much trouble when he came out from the trees, my dad isn't a very expressive person, he always wears the same stoic expression, so it wasn't until he sat down with us and took a bite of my cupcake that we knew he didn't mind," she laughed to herself.

"From then on, he would always join us, we'd spend hours in the clearing together, just the three of us. Dad would read, for hours on end, and Jane and I played games with each other, and as we got older started stealing his books… he never did tell Mum, to this day she doesn't know what happened to all the missing food," she chuckled and trailed off.

"You and your dad are close?" Darcy asked, watching her wistful expression. She turned her face down to look at him.

"Yeah, we are," she smiled.

"That must be nice,"

"You weren't close with your dad?" she asked, having always believed the Darcy clan to be close knit, especially seeing Will and Georgiana together.

"No, I was, but differently I guess," he sighed, rolling over to lie on his back, he put his hands behind his head.

"Dad was a hard man to get close to, I guess I inherited that," he chuckled, giving her a knowing look, "It was worse, after mum died, he closed himself off. I was just a kid, but I know it changed things. And when I got older, a lot of our relationship was about the business," he sighed, "He was a great guy, and a great dad, I miss him terribly,"

"I'm sorry," Lizzie whispered, moving to mimic his earlier position, she shuffled closer on the blanket so that they were right next to each other, "I didn't meant to bring up something painful,"

"Not at all, it's good," he assured her, moving one hand from behind his head he brought it up to the side of her face, stroking her cheek gently. She leaned into his touch.

"I really am sorry about before," he whispered, guilt still lingering in his eyes. She shook her head, and moved to lie beside him, using his shoulder as a pillow and curling into his side. The hand that was touching her face curled around her, pulling her close.

"Stop apologizing," she murmured, "Let's forget about it okay? I only want to remember the good things today,"

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head with a sigh.

"Alright, think only of the past as it gives you pleasure, right? That's what you say?"

"Very good," she smiled, "How'd you know that?"

He laughed deeply, "Oh Lizzie, you think I haven't paid you any attention these past three years?"

"I guess I hadn't thought much about it," she admitted, a little ashamed of herself.

"Well, believe me I've noticed," he said, stroking her hair.

They were silent for a long while, just lying there on the ground under the warm sun, holding each other. It was Lizzie who spoke next, finally gaining the courage to say what she'd never been able to say before.

"I really want to make this work Will, you and me," she whispered, he was silent for a moment, and Lizzie thought that maybe he'd fallen asleep and hadn't heard her. But then he took a death breath and exhaled slowly.

"So do I," he whispered back, then "No more misunderstandings, I promise."

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><p><strong>Please review =)<strong>


	33. Chapter 32

**So, positive reviews for the last chapter, it seems you're all happy that Lizzie and Will are working things out. Hopefully, you'll be even happier with this... **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 32<strong>

They spent hours together that afternoon, laying in Darcy's secret clearing, just talking. He told her all about his university days, how he came to meet and become friends with Charlie, he talked about raising Georgiana after their father died. She told him about her sisters, about Kitty's blossoming individuality and how happy it made her to see her discovering her own personality. She told him about her mother's blatant favouritism and her father's cynical sense of humour. When he brought up his horses, she shuddered and shamefully admitted to her horse phobia, explaining the only time she'd attempted horse riding they'd gone on a trail ride and her very old and very fat mount had rolled over and died, with her still sitting on top of it. That made him laugh for a few long minutes, then he insisted she let him teach her to ride, promising her horse would not keel over and die on her.

It wasn't until the sun had begun to set that they packed up the remnants of their picnic lunch, long since finished, and hiked back towards the house, arriving just as the sun sunk into the horizon. Richard was gone, so they spent a quiet evening with Georgiana. After dinner, Darcy actually brought his laptop out into the sitting room and did some work (without hiding it!) while Lizzie and GiGi sat at the piano. Georgiana, who ordinarily played very well, was obviously hindered by her broken arm and so she had decided that Lizzie had to learn to play, and that she was going to teach her. Lizzie wasn't very good, but at the very least, it was entertaining. Darcy had found himself pretty distracted and hadn't got very much work done, instead he'd spent most of the evening watching Lizzie and his sister enjoy themselves, his laptop left open beside him. It wasn't until Lizzie helped Georgiana to bed that he got anything done.

* * *

><p>It was getting late, and Lizzie had gone upstairs to bed almost an hour ago, Darcy came up, expecting her to be fast asleep, but instead, found her nestled into his pillows, propped up on one arm reading a book. She looked up and smiled at him when he entered, then turned back to her reading. He couldn't help but smile back, and the grin didn't leave his face as he stepped into the bathroom to brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjama pants. He crawled into the bed next to her and he was still smiling, not that she could see it, being utterly absorbed in whatever book she was reading tonight.<p>

Her back was to him, as she was propped up on her side, the book lying open on the mattress as she held her head up with one hand. Her hair was out, and fell down across her neck, the tips of her long locks brushing the sheets, she was wearing a tank top tonight and her right shoulder was bared and he could see the faint pattern of a cluster of freckles that he hadn't noticed before. He was close to her, and without thinking about it, he was reaching up and tracing the pattern on her shoulder with his fingertips.

She shivered at his touch and glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"What are you doing?" She asked, holding her place in her book with a finger as she shifted around a little.

"Just enjoying the general splendour that is you," he said, she laughed.

"Corny," she said, he just shrugged, their eyes met and held for a long moment, his finger traced from her shoulder up her neck and came to stroke her cheek.

"Lizzie…" he whispered, she shifted the rest of the way around so that she was lying on her back, her book forgotten.

"Hi…" she whispered back. He chuckled, his thumb tracing her cheekbone again.

"Hi," he said back, there was another long pause while he stared down at her, entrancing her, holding her still with his gaze.

"You're so beautiful Elizabeth," he whispered, his gaze flicking down to her mouth quickly, and then returned to her eyes. She wet her lips unconsciously.

"You're not so bad yourself William," she said, she was teasing him with the use of his full name. He smirked at her, but didn't pull her up on it, not wanting to take away from this moment. So far they had been taking their new relationship slowly, apart from the sleeping in the same bed thing, which was admittedly a little weird considering they weren't technically a couple… he made a mental note to rectify that situation. But not now, now, he had things on his mind.

His gaze flicked down to her mouth once more, and her lips parted slightly, which he took as invitation enough. He leaned the rest of the way down and let his lips brush hers, softly at first, but as she lifted up to return the kiss, softly went out of the window, going slowly seemed like the stupidest idea in the world, and all he wanted was her. He pushed her back down into the pillows and increased the kiss, tracing her lip with his tongue, she met him move for move and soon they were pressed together, holding each other and making out like teenagers.

He was gripping her hip with one hand, the other cradling her head while his arm propped his body up, taking some of his weight off her body, but not enough that she couldn't feel every inch of him. Her arms were wrapped around him, pressing him closer as she traced up and down his bare back, feeling his lean muscles under soft skin. She was practically panting, in fact both of them were breathing rather heavily. He broke away from her lips and trailed down neck, licking her collarbone and tracing the top of her tank top where soft white cotton met skin. Slowly, so that she could stop him if she wasn't ready, the hand he rested on her hip bone ventured up her stomach, sliding under her top and climbing upwards. She didn't stop him and soon he was cradling her breast, caressing the soft warm skin with he fingers, his thumb skimmed across the peak and she gasped. He kissed her again deeply, and her hands slipped lower down his back, pulling him closer.

He kept the slow pace, but ventured further down this intimate path they were on, cautiously, but brimming with hope. Soon he had peeled off her tank top and thrown it on the floor and he was making his way down her body, kissing a trail down her stomach and veering towards her hipbone. Lizzie was melting under his ministrations, and she was so done with this going slow thing, all she wanted now was to get down and dirty. She'd spent enough G-rated nights in this mans bed, she was ready for this, it was time to participate. Then suddenly, he stopped. His tongue had been tracing the line of her pyjama bottoms and then suddenly it wasn't. She pulled herself up on her elbows and looked down at him, he was staring as her stomach. Or so it seemed.

"What's that matter?" She asked breathlessly.

"You…" he trailed off, looking up into her eyes then back down at her belly, "You have a tattoo!" He exclaimed finally, smirking.

"Uh, yeah I do," she blushed, "Is that all? Do you not like it?" he shook his head and smiled.

"I'm just surprised," he said, "I never would have guessed," his thumb traced the ink on her hip bone. Yes, she had a tattoo. No, not many people knew of its existence. It was concealed most of the time, that was the point of its location. It was hidden. Small, and, she hoped tasteful, on the soft skin of her lower stomach, aligned with her hip, the one Darcy had been grasping all evening.

"It's cute," he said, tracing it again, "Why a bird?" he asked.

"It's a sparrow," she said, it was a small sparrow perched on a twig, "I got it when I was eighteen and starting university. I'd just moved to London and I was missing home."

He gave her a sceptical look and she laughed, "I know, I was shocked too. Anyway, growing up, there was this flowering fruit tree in our yard, right outside my bedroom window, and it was always filled with tiny little sparrows. All my life, I could always hear the sparrows singing in that tree. But in London, there were no sparrows, no fruit trees… just the city. It reminds me of where I come from, it reminds me of why I left and the things I wanted to achieve. It was my first act of freedom leaving that house…" she trailed off. He was staring up at her, listening to every word she said, his thumb had taken up a pattern on her skin.

"You don't hate it?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Definitely not," he whispered, then kissed it softly. "You just keep surprising me Lizzie," he said then pulled her down the mattress so that he could kiss her again.

"Don't stop," he whispered. She kissed him back, grinning though their lips were still touching.

"I won't. I can't have you getting bored with me," she teased. He laughed heartily.

"Not even a possibility," he muttered. Then trailed back down her stomach with his tongue. This time, nothing stopped him.

* * *

><p>Making love to Darcy this time around, was so different to the last time. When she hadn't even known it was him. This time it was so much more than just a physical thing. She was consciously letting herself go and giving herself over to Will, they were establishing themselves in a new level of their relationship. They were lovers. It was intimate, and romantic and pretty earth shattering. It sounds cliché, but Lizzie felt warm and fuzzy all over from being with him, from feeling his tenderness. Which was just a present last time they'd done this, but now she knew what it meant, it was so much more touching.<p>

Darcy was fit, in both the literal and figurative sense of the term, so Lizzie took time to savour every inch of his long, lean body, from his toned legs all the way up to his soft dark hair, which she buried her fingers in as he slid into her. Sex with Will was fulfilling in a way she'd never thought possible, and she was scared to analyse what that meant, no matter how much participation she had dedicated to their relationship. That lingering fear that everything would fall apart still hadn't gone away, but she was starting to realise that her fear came from not wanting to loose him. Which made her realise just how important this relationship was to her.

They made love for hours, not in the marathon sense that they never stopped, of course, but they couldn't stop touching each other, savouring each other, exploring each other, and so it was that they didn't end up falling asleep, holding each other, until the very early hours of the morning.

* * *

><p>Bright sunlight, that's what woke Lizzie the next morning, she squeezed her eyes shut tighter against the brightness. <em>Ugh Morning. <em>It was a millisecond later that the memories of last night flooded back into her consciousness and her eyelids flew open. She was in Darcy's huge king size bed, nestled amongst the pillows and surrounded by the duvet, which was the only thing keeping her modest. Her clothes had been lost somewhere on the floor. She smiled into the pillow, then rolled over to face Darcy's side of the bed, only to find it empty. She reached out and his spot was cold, so he'd obviously been up for a while. She sat up clutching the duvet around her chest. She was alone. The clock on the wall read eleven thirty in the morning, and she smiled, _well no wonder_. Darcy would have been up for hours, she knew that he wasn't capable of sleeping in. Lizzie was quite sure he hadn't heard of the concept.

She slipped out of bed and padded across to the dresser for clean clothes. She was pulling on a long sleeved t-shirt when she saw the door open in the reflection of the mirror and Darcy appeared behind her.

"Hey sleepy head," he smirked, stopping just inside the door. Lizzie turned towards him and smiled shyly, flashbacks of last night and Darcy's naked body flashing across her mind.

"Hey…" she trailed off, they stood staring at each other for a long moment before Darcy laughed and shook his head.

"I don't know why this is so awkward," he said, waving his arm towards the bed, she felt the distinct heat of a blush on her cheeks.

"It's not like we haven't done it before," she joked,

"Mmm, no, very true," he laughed, then crossed the room to stand in front of her, "And hopefully we'll do it again?" he asked, his voice was nervous and hopeful.

"Mmm, I think that could be arranged," she giggled, and smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her against his chest, and nestled into her hair.

"Your sister is here," he said, his voice rumbling through his chest.

"Already?" she asked, pulling back to look into his eyes.

"So it would seem," he nodded once, confirmation

"They must have left super early," Lizzie sighed, pulling out of his arms and reaching for her hairbrush, she started to tame her bed hair.

"You realize it's practically lunch time," he teased, strolling over to the bed, he sat at the end and watched her in the mirror as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Shush you, I just can't believe they're here already. That means we're going home soon…" she sighed, finishing with her brush, she pulled her hair up and snapped a band around a high pony tail, turning to face him again. He smiled at her, and stood up, reaching out a hand for her to take.

"Back to reality," He sighed, "come on, I'm making my famous chili for lunch, everyone's downstairs in the kitchen waiting."

"Mmm, sounds good," she said, feeling a rumble in her empty stomach. It was loud enough for him to hear too, and it made him laugh.

"Hey," she said, after a moment of silent walking, causing him to look at her, "One of these days, am I ever going to wake up and find you still in bed with me?" she asked, he smiled and reached up to smooth the crinkle out from between her brows.

"Tomorrow," he answered, still smiling, "Nothing would give me greater pleasure,"

She giggled, they were entering the kitchen now.

"Nothing?" she asked, a coy smile on her face and a brow raised, he knew exactly what she was implying.

"Shut up," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her lips as they swung through the kitchen door. The kiss, as chaste as it was, did not go unnoticed by the other occupants of the kitchen, and they both blushed slightly when they broke away and looked up to find four curious pairs of eyes on them.

"Lizzie!" Jane cried, breaking the moment of embarrassment as she practically flew across the kitchen and into Lizzie's arms. She hugged her sister back and grinned.

"Hey Jane,"

"Things are good, I take it?" Jane whispered in her ear, before pulling back to look into her younger sisters eyes.

"Things are great," Lizzie confirmed, glancing over to where Will was, across the kitchen, standing at the stove with Ms Reynolds. Jane didn't have to ask any more questions, and even if she'd wanted to, the opportunity was lost when Charles made his way over to give Lizzie a hug of his own.

"The office has been very dull without you Elizabeth," he sighed, "And Darce has been thoroughly preoccupied, I hope you'll be coming back soon,"

Lizzie smiled, she had missed Charlie while she'd been playing nurse (and playing house) with the Darcy's.

"That all depends on GiGi," Lizzie said, "But I think she's mending tremendously, aren't you Gigi?" she asked, pulling the younger girl into the conversation, as she was sitting not three feet away.

"I'm feeling much better," she confirmed, as Lizzie took a seat with her at the worn kitchen table. Jane and Charlie sat opposite her, leaving the chair next to Lizzie and the other head of the table empty.

"Lunch is served!" Will exclaimed, placing a large pot in the middle of them, he quickly claimed the seat beside Lizzie as Ms Reynolds passed around bowls and spoons.

"Hey," Will whispered, a little smile on his face, as he grasped Lizzie's hand beneath the tabletop.

"Hey," she smiled back, letting their joint hands rest on her lap. A bowl clattered on the table in front of her, drawing her attention away from Will.

"Wait until you try this," he said, letting go of his hand as he filled first her bowl, and then his own, before sitting back down and reclaiming her hand, "When I was about fifteen, we had a chef from Mexico, she taught me how to make this,"

"I think your recipe ended up surpassing Lolita's to be honest William," Ms Reynolds said, from her place at the table head, what usually would have been Will's seat, that knowledge, and the fact he'd chosen the seat beside her, gave Elizabeth a warm feeling in her stomach, but it was nothing compared to the warmth the chili gave out after she took her first bite.

"Wow," was all she could say, through the spicy bite of the meal.

"Good, huh?" Will asked, as his thumb started tracing a gentle circle on the top of her hand.

"Very," she smiled back, her answer loaded with more meaning than the question had implied.

The six of them spent the next hour enjoying each other's company, and enjoying several serves of Will's Famous Chili con Carne, with freshly baked cornbread, baked by Ms Reynolds, because Will claimed he wasn't _that _talented.

"I'm sure you could make great cornbread if you tried," Lizzie had joked,

"Well, that only makes me want to try," he'd responded.

The other's weren't ignorant to the fact that both Will and Lizzie ate the entire meal one handed, but being the good friends that they were, chose not to bring it up.

* * *

><p><strong>So, their time at Pemberley is coming to an end. That also means we're hitting the final phase (and very busy phase) of the story. I will try to have one more chapter up within the week, but then I'm going away for work for a few weeks, so I'm not sure how consistent updates will be between now and Christmas. I'm sorry for that, but you know how RL can be, but I'll try my best.<strong>

**Please review =)**


	34. Chapter 33

***A few people have mentioned that you haven't been able to open the new chapter, so I've tried to re-post it, hopefully it works this time***

**Hello… is anyone still out there?**

**Wow, so much has happened since my last update. Which is actually why there hasn't been an update in months, which I'm so sorry about by the way. Things have been crazy! If you'd like to know why, read the rest of this note. If you don't care, and I won't blame you if you don't, feel free to skip ahead!**

**Last time you heard from me I was travelling for work for a few weeks. That ended up turning into a major family crisis, which was not only horribly sad, but also incredibly draining. Then came Christmas, which meant work was hectic for about three weeks, and then I moved again, THIS TIME ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. I got accepted into my Master's program, which was the reason for the move, so having to find a new apartment, and move into it, and now looking for a new job has and is keeping me preoccupied! So, that's why I haven't updated in so long, I haven't had long enough to focus on it! I'll try and make this chapter worth the wait, but I can already tell you, it's probably going to be short.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 33<strong>

"This place is amazing," Jane said later that afternoon as she and Lizzie sat outside, under one of the large oak trees, a picnic blanket spread out beneath them. "And huge!" She added.

"Tell me about it," Lizzie chuckled, "I've been here a week and I still get lost on my way to breakfast."

"I never knew Will was so well off," Jane mused, "Did you?" Lizzie shook her head.

"I knew he was loaded, I mean, I work for him, he _owns _the entire company… but no, I didn't know he owned an estate house out of 'ye olde time England'."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, staring across the pond and up towards the house.

"We're worlds apart, aren't we Jane?" Lizzie sighed, breaking the silence.

"Oh, Lizzie…" Jane sighed, reaching out to hold her hand, "Don't dwell on the money, it's obvious that Will cares about you, he doesn't care that you're 'worlds apart', he just cares about you,"

"I care about him too," she said after a long pause.

"Then that's all that matters," Jane smiled, always the optimist. Up at the house, Will and Charlie had just come out of the main doors and were making their way down the stairs. The girls couldn't hear them, being too far away, but they could see that the men were laughing together.

"Will seems different," Jane observed, and Lizzie couldn't help but agree. There was something different about Darcy when he was here, at Pemberley, something that made him seems younger and more boyish. Maybe it was the fact that he smiled more, and he was laughing a lot, just like he was now as he and Charlie pushed and shoved each other playfully, as they headed across the grounds and around the house. Lizzie wondered where they were going, but didn't voice her thoughts.

"Different in a good way though, right?" Lizzie asked thoughtfully.

"Seems to be," Jane agreed. Lizzie shuffled down the blanket and lay on her back.

"I slept with him," Lizzie confessed, speaking very quietly, Jane turned down to look at her sister, "Last night, I just…"

"What?" Jane asked, concerned that Lizzie was holding back, "Did he pressure you? Is he moving too fast?"

"No, no, he's not pressuring me. It was my idea… well, technically he started it I suppose. But I don't think it was his intention, and I never stopped him, I wanted it… I want him. It's weird, you know, because I feel like I shouldn't, like I should be more uncomfortable or cautious, but I'm not. I'm just, content. As surprising as it is, being with Will is just so easy."

Jane gave her a sceptical look and Lizzie laughed,

"Not easy like we never have problems! God knows, we have a lot of problems! And there's probably still a lot we need to talk about. But, it's easy because it's comfortable. Once we sorted through all the crap from when we first met, everything seemed to fall into place, and now it's almost second nature,"

Lizzie waited while Jane processed this new information, and eventually had her sister's agreement.

"I can certainly see that you two are more comfortable together now, and I can see how much he adores you, he's always watching you, it's like he can't take everything in and so he can't look away. And you, you almost gravitate towards him… I don't know if you realise you're doing it, but it's something I've noticed." She said, picking at a loose thread in the blanket.

"Now you're making me self conscious," Lizzie grumbled, settling down beside Jane, she chuckled, "You know, it's funny, Ms Reynolds said something similar about Will, I think she said, she can tell by the way he looks at me that I'm a special person, I thought she was just being nice."

"No, she's right. You are special, and Will obviously sees that, she was right. But she is nice, exceptionally so. She's almost more of a mother to Will and GiGi than a house keeper," Jane mused. Lizzie nodded her agreement.

"She's worked for their family since before Will was even born,"

"Really? She's so young though,"

"She was only 17, I don't know the whole story, just what she's told me since I arrived, that she ran away from home because she had a baby, and her parents tried to hush it up, kept the pregnancy quiet and kept her hidden away after the baby was born, she says one day she just got so fed up with it that she ran away. Packed up a few things for her and everything for her daughter and got on a train, she came north and went from estate to estate looking for work in exchange for board, but it wasn't until she came here and met Will's mother that any one would take her in. Apparently Mrs Darcy, pregnant with Will at the time, took pity on her and took her in, gave her a job and a room, helped look after her daughter Clara, and she's been here ever since. I'm sure there's more too it than that, but that's what I know. The Darcy's helped put Clara through school and university too, she's a lawyer now, she works in Manchester."

* * *

><p>There was a long pause after that, while Jane watched her sister serenely, Lizzie seemed distracted, she was talking Jane, but she wasn't all there.<p>

"Are you still having doubts about him?" Jane asked cautiously, which grabbed Lizzie's attention, she turned her head quickly to look her sister in the eye. She was taken aback, the look on her face was almost insulted.

"What? No!" Lizzie cried, scrambling up into a sitting position. Jane raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"No, I'm not having doubts,"

"It just seems like you're still unsure of things," Jane supplied

"No, I'm not unsure. I know that I want to be with Will, I really do." She paused and sighed, "You know what it is Jane," she asked, almost whispering.

"Tell me Lizzie, you know you can tell me anything,"

"I'm scared," she whispered,

"Of what?"

"It took me a while to realize it, but I'm scared of loosing him. That this relationship won't last, and it's not because of my job or his being my boss or any of that other crap I was so concerned about before, I'm scared it won't last because that means I'll loose him…"

"Oh…" Jane was slightly speechless, "Lizzie… you realize what this means right?" she asked, carefully, because she was pretty sure she was about to say something that Lizzie hadn't even realised for herself yet.

"What do you mean?"

"Lizzie, do you think, maybe, you might be in love with him?" Jane asked, bracing herself for an argument with her stubborn, never to be told what to do or think, sister. Lizzie's mouth fell open a tiny bit, agape in shock, and she was silent for a long moment.

"Maybe…" she finally said, and Jane's mouth fell open a little bit too, which made Lizzie laugh.

"Look Jane, I don't know what I am, I don't know if I'm in love with Will or not, I don't know what that even means. But I see you with Charlie, and I want what you two have, and I feel like I might be able to have that one day, with Will. I know that sounds crazy, and I know that two months ago, if you'd told me I would feel this way I wouldn't have believed you, but now, things are just different…"

Jane nodded slightly, knowing that her sister was trying to end this conversation, Jane would let her, she'd already gotten a lot more from Elizabeth than she ever expected to, and felt like she'd helped her in some way. So when Lizzie changed the subject, Jane didn't make a fuss.

"I wish Kitty had come with you," Lizzie sighed, rolling back onto her stomach and picking at the blades of grass along the blanket's edge.

"I'm still worried about her being alone in the city, at our apartment, with all the George Wickham problems,"

"The police haven't been able to locate him Lizzie, they're certain he's left town,"

"Mmm, I know, but something still doesn't sit right, I still feel like we're just sitting on a time bomb, and I don't like that Kitty is alone in London while the two of us are so far away," Lizzie explained, Jane understood, she was worried too.

"I did try and convince her to come, but she's busy with her orientation and getting ready for the semester, and she was adamant about going to work, even though Charlie personally told her to take today off and join us,"

"She's stubborn," Lizzie said, Jane scoffed,

"I wonder where she learned that trait from," Jane said, nudging Lizzie with her elbow.

"Ha, you're very funny,"

"She'll be fine," Jane said after a short pause, "But maybe we'll call her when we get back to the house,"

"Good idea," Lizzie replied.

* * *

><p>"So, how's everything going with you and Charlie?" Lizzie asked, curiously, after a few minutes of sisterly silence. Jane's cheeks pinked up at her question and the elder Bennett sister sighed wistfully.<p>

"That good huh?" Lizzie teased,

"He's so perfect Lizzie, I don't know how I got so lucky!" Jane beamed.

"You're pretty perfect too Jane, I'm not surprised you found each other,"

"It's all because of you Lizzie," Jane insisted, "I wouldn't know Charles if you didn't work with him,"

"For him," Lizzie corrected with a smirk, "Besides, I don't believe that's true, you would have found each other somehow,"

"That's awfully romantic of you Lizzie," Jane laughed

"Is it?"

"Yes!" Jane cried, "I've never heard you, my dear sister, say anything like that. You and your 'realistic' world views," she said, even using air quotes.

"Yeah, well I guess people really can change," Lizzie replied, sitting up at the sound of someone approaching.

Turning to look behind the tree they were sat under, Lizzie almost shrieked to see Will and Charlie approaching on horseback. Will was grinning somewhat manically and Lizzie immediately shook her head at him.

"If you think I'm getting on that thing you've lost your mind Darcy!" She yelled, getting to her feet. Darcy chuckled as he came to a halt in front of her. Sitting astride the horse she was almost twice her height and she strained her neck to look at him.

"Come on Lizzie, you promised me," he practically pouted, dismounting and jumping to land in front of her. The horse, which in her head Lizzie was calling_ 'the giant'_, whinnied and shook it's head from side to side, tussling it's mane.

"I never promised to kill myself by climbing onto a giant quadruped," she countered, crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"No," Darcy agreed, stepping closer and extracting a hand from her stiffly crossed arms, "But you did promise to ride with me, and I'm not letting you back out of it now, least of all because Sherlock would be very offended,"

"You named your horse Sherlock?" Lizzie asked,

"I did," he answered, with a teasing grin, "Figures that you'd like that,"

"Good name," was all she replied, looking at Sherlock sceptically, "Though I don't see the resemblance,"

"You just wait," Darcy assured her. Meanwhile, Jane had already gone over to Charlie and he was assisting her onto his horse's saddle. Jane had never been afraid of horses, she was an accomplished rider. Lizzie frowned, almost jealous, there was no way Lizzie was going to look that graceful when, (and she knew it was going to be when, because Will could pretty much talk her into anything), she clambered onto Sherlock's back.

"Seriously Will, do we really have to do this? Honestly, I'm fine with not being able to ride a horse,"

"Well, I'm not, there's something I want to show you, at the far end of the property. You can't get there in a car. If not the horses…" he paused and adopted a cheeky grin, "Then it's the dirt bikes" Lizzie blanched. Nope, there was no way she was getting on the back of a motorcycle.

"Fine," she huffed, and Will beamed triumphantly before helping her up onto the beast where she balanced precariously as he climbed on behind her. As scary as this experience was, being nestled in Will's arms was making it much easier to deal with.

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><p><strong>So that's it, a bit short, but I knew where I wanted this chapter to end. So there's a bit of back story on Ms Reynolds, and some sisterly bonding time so we could get into Lizzie's head. Please review!<strong>


	35. Chapter 34

**Possibly (actually, certainly) the longest chapter posted for this story so far! Sorry about all the confusion over the last posts. I got a lot of messages saying many of you couldn't read the last post. So I just wanted to let you know, providing you have read "Chapter 34: Chapter 33" then you are up to date, and ready to read this, in my opinion, very exciting chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 34<strong>

"Wow!"

Darcy chuckled,

"I'll take that as a good thing," he smiled, helping Lizzie down from Sherlock's back.

"Do," she replied, looking up into his eyes. They shared a silent moment before Lizzie broke it, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him briefly, before she moved out from between him and Sherlock to walk further along the rocky path before them.

They were, according to Darcy, at the very edge of Pemberley's property line now, and they were standing on a cliff. Before her was a huge expanse of open land, rugged and unkempt, but beautiful in its natural state. Lizzie, being the explorer that she was, was climbing over the rocky outlook they were standing amongst, to get to the best vantage point possible. And Darcy, in a true show of restraint (Lizzie could tell from the worried look on his face) wasn't stopping her, but following her instead.

"Don't give me that look Will, I just know you've done this before" she teased, as she reached, what she considered the best spot, and turned around to watch him climbing behind her.

"Maybe when I was eight," he admitted, reaching her, "But not at twenty eight,"

Lizzie laughed at that, and turned to face the valley before them. They were silent for a moment, and then Lizzie sighed.

"Every time you show me another part of this place, I'm continually amazed by it," she said, leaning back against his chest as he took up his place behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, revelling in their new level of intimacy and smiled.

"It continually amazes me, and I've known it my entire life. It's wonderful to share it with someone so special, who can appreciate it like I do," he spoke softly, lips beside her ear, almost making her shiver. They stood in silence for a while, enjoying the view, and soon, found themselves sitting side by side on a large flat area of the rocky cliff top.

"You know," Darcy said as they watch the sun sinking lower in the sky, "Georgiana is almost self sufficient again, have you thought about coming back to work?"

She was quiet, too quiet, and Darcy sensed her hesitation.

"Lizzie?" He asked, encouraging her to confide in him. She sighed, as decided to tell him what was on her mind.

"I've thought about," she admitted, "A lot, actually, and I do want to go back. I've missed it…" she trailed off.

"But?" He prompted

"But… I don't know… I know I'm using Gigi as an excuse. She's hardly needed me these past two weeks. I guess I'm worried about going back because of… us…"

"Us?"

"Yeah, I mean, everyone thinks we hate each other, and I've been on this suspicious hiatus, and you're my boss, and that never looks good… sleeping with the CEO. I don't want people to think that I'm the type of person who sleeps around to advance her career"

"Lizzie, you're not," he insisted.

"I know that, and you know that, but the other hundreds of people who work for you don't…"

"Firstly," he interrupted "You're already the head of your department. So, it's not like you can get a promotion…"

"True, but then I'm labelled as a gold digger or something…"

"Secondly," he interrupted her again, "Any employee who thinks poorly of my girlfriend, is an employee not worth having,"

"Will, you can't just fire someone because they bad mouth me, that's a terrible way to run a business. I… girlfriend?" she stopped short, finally picking up on what he had said.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep the serious expression on his face.

"You said girlfriend," she said, staring him in the eye and trying not to get distracted by the glimmer of excitement in them.

"Yes," was all he said, the corner of his lips twitching to curl upwards at the wide-eyed expression on her face.

"You want me to be your girlfriend?" She asked again, to verify.

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed, "Why, don't you… want to be…?" he trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself. She stared at him for a moment before she grinned.

"No…" she said, then doubled back, "I mean, yes, yes I'd like that" He sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness," he sighed, smiling himself, "That was nerve wracking!"

"Worried I'd turn you down Mr Darcy?" she teased,

"Mmm," he leaned in to kiss her, stopping just before touching her lips, "Well, it wouldn't have been the first time," he grinned, and then kissed her. They spent a few more minutes sitting on that rock, kissing and laughing together until Darcy decided they needed to head back, or they would run out of sunlight and get stuck in the woods.

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><p>"Where have Jane and Charlie gone?" Lizzie asked Will as he loaded her bag into the trunk of Georgiana's BMW on Sunday morning. Will wasn't taking any chances in case Lizzie decided it was time to go back to her own apartment, and since she was driving her car back to the city, he'd taken her bags hostage.<p>

"I'm sure they'll be along any minute," he replied, too casually. Lizzie eyed him suspiciously. Ten minutes ago Jane had been standing beside her in the kitchen, getting snacks ready for the drive home, when suddenly Charles had flown in, all flustered, grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out the back door.

"You're hiding something," Lizzie accused as Will slammed the trunk shut, avoiding her eyes.

"No I'm not!" He cried, averting his gaze further, "I'm going to get GiGi, I'll be right back,"

He took the front steps two at a time and was gone before she could interrogate him further. While she waited for Will to come back with GiGi, she walked over to her car and opened the door, slipping into the driver's seat. She couldn't reach the pedals because Will had been the last person to drive it, and he was taller than her. Reaching underneath the seat, she pulled the lever to bring the seat forward and sighed. It was going to be a long drive back to London, when she was all on her own.

"Don't think you're leaving without us," Darcy's voice startled her, and she swivelled to see him striding past her open car door, holding Gigi in his arms, headed towards the BMW. Lizzie climbed out of her seat and followed behind them, it was just as Will was helping Georgiana buckle into the back seat that it happened. Suddenly, the quiet serenity of Pemberley's front gardens, broken only by the soft murmurings of Will's voice and the distant cries of a bird, was pierced by a loud shriek.

"JANE!" Lizzie cried, starting to rush off in the direction of her sister's cry. But she was pulled backwards, Will's hand crushed around her upper arm as he'd spun out of the car to grab her.

"Will! Let go!" she begged, tugging at his grip, looking up to his face, she was stilled by his expression. He was grinning.

"Will?" Lizzie said, confused and concerned all at once.

"That was more than I was expecting," he murmured, still grinning. And suddenly, the silence that had followed Jane's scream was interrupted by the sound of feet, two pairs, pounding on gravel, and the almost manic laughter of Jane and Charles.

"What the hell?" Lizzie cried, throwing her arms up in frustration, the look on Will's face was enough for her to know that she was the only one not in the loop. Even the quick glance she'd got at Gigi from the back seat of the car told her that even she knew what was going on.

"Jane?" Lizzie asked as her overly excited older sister barrelled towards her and pulled her into hug, almost knocking her over in the process. Jane was seemingly unable to speak, because she didn't reply, but after a moment pulled back from the hug and instead thrust her hand into Lizzie face. More specifically, her left hand, upon which sat a huge, sparkly diamond ring, which prompted Lizzie to let out her own almighty shriek, almost matching Jane's earlier scream of joy and almost deafening the party.

"You're engaged?!" Lizzie cried at last, jumping on the spot clasping Jane's hands, she suddenly let go and spun to face a red faced Charlie who stood not far behind them.

"You proposed?!" She cried again, still not letting anyone answer and pulling him into a hug, "Geeze Charlie, the way you work, I thought that would be a few years off yet!"

"I didn't need any encouragement to know I wanted to marry your sister," he said, quietly enough that only Lizzie could hear him. She pulled back for their embrace and smiled.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Lizzie promised him, "Brother!"

"Congratulations Charles," Darcy interrupted them, coming to shake his best friends hand.

"Thanks Darce," Charlie almost blushed,

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Lizzie said, putting her hands on her hips and facing Will.

"Perhaps,"

"Pfft, perhaps he says! You knew!"

"Fine," he smirked, "I knew"

"And Gigi knew!" Lizzie continued.

"Yes, Gigi knew also,"

"How come I didn't know?" She pouted, which caused Will to laugh, a deep belly laugh.

"Oh Lizzie," he sighed, pulling her to him, "You and I both know, that you wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret from Jane,"

"When did I get this reputation of not being able to keep a secret?"

"It's not a reputation sweetheart," he kissed the top of her head, "It's just because it was Jane,"

"Hmmph," was Lizzie's only reply, and Will chuckled.

"And can I just say, that was the most unreserved I think I've ever seen you," he chuckled, she slapped his stomach and pulled back, looking him in the eye.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, arching one eyebrow with a smirk. Will's eye's glossed over a little as he obviously took her meaning and groaned.

"I'll see you back in the city," she whispered, pulling out of his arms and leaving him standing there, for lack of a better word, dumbstruck. And he could only watch as she walked away, stopping by Jane and Charlie to say goodbye and congratulations again, before continuing to her car.

The moment she started the engine, he was in action again. Quickly saying goodbye to Ms Reynolds, Jane and Bingley before getting into Gerogie's BMW and starting the engine, heading back to the city. He didn't want to be far behind Lizzie, so that they could arrive home together.

* * *

><p>It felt good to be home. Home, she had a little internal chuckle when she realised just <em>where<em> she was calling home. She was currently wound up in Darcy's arms, her head resting on his chest as they sat in companionable silence in the front sitting room of his townhouse, resting after the drive back from Derbyshire. Lizzie felt content, she felt happy, and she kept thinking back on that morning and Charlie's proposal to her sister and couldn't help smiling.

"I can't believe they're engaged!" She exclaimed, happiness bubbling up inside her. She felt Darcy's chest shake had he chuckled.

"Can't you? Is it not a good thing?" he asked

"Oh no! It's excellent, they're perfect for each other. But Charlie just took so long to move from dating to relationship, I'm surprised he was so quick to propose is all. It's a very good thing,"

"Good. They deserve each other." He smiled,

"Yes, they do," she responded. They were silent for another moment but Lizzie had to laugh, she was just so happy!

"What?" he asked as she sat up from his chest.

"I'm just happy!" Lizzie exclaimed, "Can you blame me? This past week was just wonderful, and Pemberley is beautiful and my sister is engaged!"

"I'm glad you're happy, I like seeing you this way," he said.

"Well, get used to it. Because I don't think this feeling is going away any time soon," she teased, and his smiled.

"I hope not," he said, taking her hand. "You're amazing Elizabeth. I'm so happy to have you in my life,"

"I'm happy too Will," she smiled, "I never would have guessed _you _could make me so happy," she laughed, and he joined in.

"Oh Lizzie," he said, still chuckling, "I love you,"

She stopped laughing then, and stared at him. He was serious. She was shocked.

"You... what?" she asked, he smiled gently at her and tucked some hair back behind her ear.

"I love you, Lizzie," he repeated, "I think you're so amazing, and you make me so happy, you make me a better person. You're beautiful, and caring and funny and I love you. Most ardently."

She was still in shock, staring into his eyes she could see he was being serious. He loved her. He LOVED her. He, loved HER! Even though she'd been ruminating over this very situation in her mind for days now, his admission had shocked her and she hardly knew what to say, so of course, she said the wrong thing.

"Love me? Darcy, you don't even know me! Not really!" she cried, standing up from the sofa.  
>"Of course I do, Elizabeth, we've worked together three years now…" he said, following her lead and rising to his feet.<p>

"That's not really knowing me Darcy, we were colleagues, but you could hardly say we were friends!" She cried.

"I know you Lizzie, I do." He said, oozing confidence. "And it's not just superficial stuff either. I really do know you, like, I know that you hate nougat, but you love Toblerones, I know that you take your coffee straight and black, except for when you go to that Italian place around the corner from the office, because their blend is stronger, I know that you secretly love Bob Dylan, and that every December you read 'A Christmas Carol', I know that your favourite flowers are Casablanca lilies, I know that you wanted to be a figure skater if it weren't for your weak ankles and _I know_ that you are the most amazing person I've ever met, and that I am completelyin love with you."

Lizzie stared at him for a long moment, unsure of what to say, he really did know her, all of what he'd said was true…

"And you know me too Lizzie," he said stepping closer, "Better than you think you do…" he trailed off, but was leaning closer to her, ducking his head to kiss her.

"I…" She started, rising up on her toes to meet his kiss, when suddenly they were interrupted as the front door flew open and Charlie came dashing into the room, seeing them he stopped still, and was leaning on his knees panting heavily.

"Charlie?" Darcy questioned, the irritation he was feeling seeping out in his tone, "What on earth?"

"It's… Kitty…" he panted, "She's… she's missing," He fell back against the door frame, still catching his breath.

"What?" Lizzie asked trembling, "What do you mean missing?"

"Taken," Charlie said, he was better recovered now and came over to where they stood, "Jane and I were in her bedroom unpacking when we heard Kitty cry out for help, we ran straight to your room Lizzie, where she was reading, and saw her just as she disappeared through the window. Someone grabbed her and took her down the old fire escape, I tried to chase after them, but I lost them… We've been trying to call for an hour. Jane finally sent me to find you, the police are at your apartment."

"Wickham," Lizzie cried, grabbing Darcy's arm.

* * *

><p>Jane was hysterical, sobbing helplessly into Charlie's shoulder, her happy demeanour from that morning now lay shattered at her feet. Lizzie's heart went out to her, today was meant to be a day of joy! She was engaged! But that devil, the utter scamp had ruined everything, yet again. Lizzie was stoic, she stood in the centre of the living room in her apartment… a place she no longer felt at home, grasping onto Darcy's hand, her expression not betraying the utter panic she was feeling. Around them, the place was swarming. Detective Bridges was there, talking on his phone, and so was Detective Ryan, who was standing before Lizzie asking questions she didn't know how to answer. There were crime scene investigators crowding her bedroom, and uniform police officers traipsed in and out of the flat. This was the scene of a kidnapping, and Kitty was gone.<p>

"So, your sister had no connection to this man what so ever?" Detective Ryan asked again, to which Lizzie shook her head, again.

"No. She's never even met him, she. After what happened with… with me," she choked, "I told her everything, she knew who he was, what he looked like, and she knew to stay away from him. We hadn't left her alone since then, until…" she trailed off, the words catching in her throat.

"He'd been quiet for so long," Darcy interjected, picking up Lizzie's train of thought, "Detective Bridges said he'd probably left town. We thought that Kitty would be safe in the city since Wickham didn't have anything to do with her. He wants to get to me Detective, we thought she'd be safe."

"She was safe!" Jane cried suddenly, "She was fine when we came home! We were in the house. He took her and I was right here! Right across the hall!" She broke down sobbing again.

The story went like this. Shortly after they'd eaten a late breakfast, the party had left Pemberley to return to London, Lizzie and Darcy had taken Georgiana back to Darcy house and Charlie had taken Jane back to her apartment. Basking in their happiness and not wanting to part ways, Charlie had gone upstairs with Jane, where Kitty had indeed been fine. They'd shared the news of their engagement with Kitty, who'd been ecstatic for them, then to give them some privacy, she'd retreated to Lizzie's bedroom to read. It was half an hour later, when Jane and Charlie were in her bedroom unpacking that they heard her scream. They'd run across the hall and flung open the door to the room just in time to see a man disappear through the window, Kitty's limp form thrown over his shoulder.

"Call the police!" Charlie had yelled, dashing to the window and chasing after the man, but he'd been too fast for him. He'd caught up to him on the street as he'd peeled away from the curb in a beaten up wagon, giving Charlie a horribly smug grin. Charlie didn't know Wickham except for by reputation, he'd never met the man and didn't know what he looked like. But when the police had arrived, he's been able to identify him from a photo line up and thus here they were, trying to find him.

"Why do you think he'd take Katherine?" Detective Ryan asked, to which no one could answer.

"I don't know!" Lizzie cried, "He has no reason to want to hurt her, he probably took her to get to me," she said.

"Or…" Darcy started, then faltered.

"Or, Mr Darcy?" The detective asked, "Do you have another theory?"

"Maybe he wasn't after Kitty," he said with a slight shrug, "You two are very similar Lizzie, maybe he thought he was kidnapping you,"

The detective's brow rose curiously and she quickly scribbled this on her note pad. Darcy reached over to the side table and plucked up a framed photo of all the Bennett sisters and held it out to the woman, he pointed out Lizzie and Kitty and she agreed, they did share a lot of traits. It was at that moment that Lizzie's phone rang.

The whole room seemed to get quieter as Lizzie reached into her bag and withdrew her mobile phone.

"The number is blocked," she whispered, looking at the screen, "What if it's him?"

"Answer it," Darcy said, his voice quietly encouraging and laden with support.

It rang once more, and she hit the answer button, putting it on speakerphone.

"Hello?" She said, tentatively.

"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie," the voice responded, he recognised it right away, low and coarse and laced with that hint of smarmy sarcasm that once upon a time, she hadn't even noticed, but she now knew had always been there.

"You've caused me quite a bit of trouble you know?" He continued, "And ruined my plans today, I assume _this _is one of your sisters?" He asked, his tone when referencing Kitty sounded like he'd trodden in something disgusting.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Lizzie gritted through her teeth, her protective instinct taking over fear.

"Oh, it was never my intention to hurt _her _Lizzie, I never meant to take _her_. It's you that I want," he said, he let out a dramatic sigh, "You're remarkably similar you know? She looks just like you… almost. See, that the problem with stalking someone Lizzie. You can never really get _close _to them. So now I feel like I've wasting my time. All this time I thought I was getting closer to _you _and I've been wasting precious hours and weeks on _her!" _He scoffed and there was a soft thud, as if he'd kicked something. Lizzie gasped, he'd been stalking Kitty this whole time.

"Don't. Hurt. Her!" She gritted again.

"I supposed it doesn't _have _to be a wasted effort though," he said and this time is was Darcy who lost his temper.

"Let her go Wickham!" He roared, snatching the phone and holding it closer to him.

"Oh, you _are _there Darcy! I should have known. After all, you're always intruding on my business. I'd butt out if I were you." He laughed, "Now Lizzie, here's what I propose. I'll let your sister go…" he paused, "But _you _have to take her place." He chuckled, "I think that's quiet a fair bargain! I'll be in touch." Then the line went dead. Lizzie stared at the phone in her hand for a long moment before she fell back on the couch, Darcy gripped her arms and guided her down.

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><p><strong>Please review! We're heading into the final phase of the story now, and I would love to hear from you!<strong>


	36. Chapter 35

**Hey guys, just wanted to apologise for the infrequent updates. I wish I could do better, but things are crazy right now, and since we're winding down, I just want to get it right. Hope you all understand, and will bear with me. Much appreciated =)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 35<strong>

The room was silent, except for Jane's sobs, and everyone was staring at Lizzie, who grasped her phone in her hands, staring at the screen as the words 'Call Ended' flashed up in her face. In the corner of the apartment, at the dining room table, a man sat in front of a laptop computer, typing furiously. There was only one person in the room not looking at Lizzie, and it was him. He stopped typing suddenly and leaned back in his chair, a resigned look on his face.

"I couldn't trace it," he announced, still not looking up from his screen. Those words propelled the room into action again. Will pried Lizzie's phone from her hands and placed it on the coffee table before sitting beside her and pulling her motionless body against his, seeing that Lizzie wouldn't be asking the obvious question here, he took it upon himself to do so.

"What now?" he asked, looking up at Detective Ryan.

"We find him," she answered, not giving any hints to her own opinion. Detective Bridges interrupted them as he re-entered the room. He sat on the coffee table, to be on the same level as the girls and cleared his throat.

"I just spoke to you father," he said quietly, "We told him what had happened. He's requested that you both go home."

Lizzie nodded numbly, and Jane didn't seem to hear him, still blaming herself for what had happened.

"We'll obviously be in constant contact with you," he continued, "we're going to do everything we can to find your sister,"

"He wants me," Lizzie croaked.

"No," Darcy cut her off "He isn't going to get you, we'll find another way, the proper way," both the detectives were nodding their agreement, "You need to go home," he said.

"I can't! This is my fault,"

"Stop, Lizzie, it's not your fault. And it's not your fault either Jane," he said seeing Jane look across at them from Charlie's arms, his tone was clipped, "If anything, it's my fault."

"Look, what's important," Detective Ryan interrupted them, "Is that you let us handle this" she was eying the lot of them as if she knew they were all trying to come up with a way to fix this themselves, "This is a police matter, and nothing you do will make it better… or legal. We promise you, we'll do everything we can to find him and get your sister back, but it would really be best if you went home to your parents and dealt with this as a family."

Jane and Charlie stepped down first, both nodding in agreement, while Darcy and Elizabeth kept staring at her. Lizzie broke eye contact first and sighed in defeat.

"Fine," she huffed, Darcy however, wasn't going to walk away that easily, but he nodded anyway and the detectives both walked away satisfied. The four of them were silent for a moment, until Lizzie looked up into Will's eyes pleading. He began a whispered conversation to avoid anyone overhearing them.

"Look, someone needs to stay here in the city and make sure they're doing their jobs. Charlie, you should take Lizzie and Jane back home and stay with them until this is all over. I'll stay here and work with the police,"

"You won't come with me?" Lizzie asked. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and shook his head.

"I'm more useful here Lizzie, trust me, I know George's tricks. I can do more here, I can help,"

"Then I'm staying too," she announced,

"No Lizzie, it's not safe, it's you that he wants. He knows that taking you, hurting you, it's the best way to hurt me,"

"Have you ever thought that maybe it works the other way too?" Lizzie asked , suddenly indignant, she shrugged out of her place in his arms and standing up, put her hands on her hips, suddenly she was annoyed at him.

Couldn't he see that she didn't want him to leave her? That she was worried for his safety too.

"Lizzie?" Darcy asked, standing up with her and taking her hand in his.

"I'd be crushed if something happened to you Will, it works both ways," she murmured.

"Lizzie… I can't just do nothing, not when I know I can help,"

"You can keep yourself safe!" she exclaimed

"Look, I'll take you home okay? But I can't stay, I have to come back here, I have to…" he trailed off at the look she was giving him. But his resolve didn't change.

Lizzie stared him down for a long minute, but she wouldn't budge either, and eventually, knowing that he was insisting on doing this for her, for her sister, huffed in unjustified annoyance before turning on her heel and _almost _storming out of the apartment.

* * *

><p>Since Charlie had driven them over, he now had to take them back to the townhouse so that Lizzie could grab some things to take to her parents house, and she decided, collect Georgiana.<p>

"Georgiana?" Will questioned as they walked through the front door.

"Yes, go and get her, she can't stay here alone while you're out traipsing about London," she argued

"Lizzie, you can't say it like that,"

"No?"

"No, I'm not just dumping you at you parents so I can go out and have a good time, you know that!"

"Regardless, Gigi will be safer with me," she said stubbornly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"I'm not disagreeing with you" he exclaimed headed towards the stairs.

"Fine!" She yelled, determined to have the final word. They didn't speak again before they left the townhouse.

It was ironic really, Lizzie realised, that when Darcy told her to 'go home', she would actually be leaving it. Everything was happening so fast, but just before Charlie had burst into the room earlier, interrupting Will's confession, Lizzie had been on the verge of making some confessions of her own. Now they were fighting!

* * *

><p>An hour later, she was sitting, stubbornly silent, in the passenger seat of Will's car, staring out the window as the rain fell, seeing the world fly past, and she was scared. Will had said he was going back to help the police, but Lizzie knew that was a lie. Sure, he might help them some, but the determination she'd seen in Will's eyes had been something else. He was going to find Wickham himself, and that had Lizzie scared senseless. Now, not only was she scared for her sister, but she was also scared for her boyfriend. She almost cursed aloud. After all this time, the two of them had finally reached an understanding of themselves and each other, and they were together, and now Wickham was threatening that! She was furious. Scared, worried and furious!<p>

Who knew how long it would take to find him, who knew how long he'd let Kitty alone before he did something drastic. Hopefully he wouldn't hurt her. Wickham was a scoundrel, certainly, but thus far, everything he'd done had been fuelled by some strange jealous obsession he had over Darcy. The company, the money he'd taken, attacking Gigi, both times, and everything to do with Lizzie since he'd seen the invitation to the benefit, it all had to do with Will, and since Kitty wasn't directly connected to him, Lizzie hoped she might be spared.

And that Will wouldn't do anything stupid, like fight Wickham, that might get him hurt. So, while she was annoyed at him, and giving him the silent treatment, she also knew he was doing a lot of this for her, which made her feel guilty. It was a cacophony of emotions that she wasn't prepared to deal with, and it was making her volatile. She didn't want to be mad at Will, but she couldn't stop herself.

When they finally arrived at her parent's home, Lizzie didn't spare a moment in escaping from his presence. She leapt out of the car and stomped towards the house, up the porch steps and through the front door without glancing back at him. She hoped he'd got the message that she was still upset with him.

In the foyer, the only light source, was what spilled in from the kitchen, and her father sat on the stairs in the almost darkness. The house was eerily quiet, in a way Lizzie had never experience before. She'd never known her family home to be silent. It was always filled with noises. Having five daughters would do that to a place. If it wasn't laughter, it was yelling, or singing or music blaring, the sounds of the kitchen as her mother cooked and baked, the sounds of her father's jazz records emanating from his study, the dogs barking, the television on… often times all this happening at once… but now it was silent, and didn't feel like home.

"Daddy?" Lizzie whispered, drawing her father's attention, he looked up and Lizzie could see he was struggling to keep himself together.

"Elizabeth," he breathed, pulling him self up and hugging her. It felt like forever that the two of them stood their in the foyer, just holding each other, but it can't have been that long before they were interrupted by the others. Jane and Charlie shuffled in, holding the front door open for Will, who was carrying a sleeping Georgiana.

"Come up Will, I'll show you where Gigi can stay," Jane offered, and the two men followed her up the stairs and Lizzie watched as she led them through the door at the top of the stairs… into her and Jane's bedroom, not the guest room further down the hall. Lizzie hugged herself, realizing that Jane and Charles would be taking the larger bed in that room, and she'd be spending the night in her childhood room with a different roommate. In her despairing thoughts, she couldn't help but wonder if anything going to remain familiar.

"I'm going to London," her father spoke, stopping her thoughts.

"What? Dad, no, you can't leave, we can't do this without you here,"

"Katherine needs me, someone needs to be in London…" was all he said, and Lizzie knew he was right, and she knew that this was the real reason he'd wanted her and Jane to come home. So that he could leave and know his family was safe… and sane.

"Will is going back tonight," Lizzie told him, resigned, "Let him take you, he won't mind you staying…" the lump forming in her throat prevented her saying anymore.

"It's fine Lizzie, I'll be alright on my own," Lizzie wanted to protest but before she could say anything, she was interrupted.

"With all due respect sir," Darcy's voice sounded from behind them on the dark stairs, "I insist you let me help,"

"Just let him help Dad, please," Lizzie whispered to her father, who paused a long moment to observe his favourite daughter before nodding his agreement.

"I'll go and get my things," he said, and made his way past Darcy who stood on the bottom step.

Will was staring at her silently, trying to figure out his next move. He knew that Lizzie was upset with him, but he also knew, in this case, he couldn't do it the way she wanted him to. This was about keeping her safe, and making her happy, in the long run. And while ordinarily, he'd do anything she wanted him to, this time, he just couldn't, and she was going to have to be okay with that. He knew that leaving her now, would be best in the end.

Lizzie wouldn't be safe in London, and Will wouldn't be able to focus on the problem, and on finding Wickham, if he was worrying about her. Knowing she was here, he'd be able to do more, and know with certainty that she was safe. He also knew that she was in no frame of mind to listen to his reasoning. So instead of trying, he simply pulled her into his arms and held her. Squeezed her against his body, not wanting to let go.

He held her there for a long while, and eventually she reciprocated. Lifting her arms and wrapping them around his middle, nestling her head under his chin and letting a few tears escape onto his sweater. Their moment came to an end when Lizzie's father reappeared at the top of the stairs and the couple pulled away from each other reluctantly.

"Let's go," the older man said, carrying his duffle bag towards the front door.

"Be safe Lizzie," Will whispered, "If nothing else, just promise me that," she nodded her agreement in the semi darkness of the foyer and he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple, right at the hair line, before turning to follow her father out the door and leaving her alone in the foyer. Hugging herself again, she watched through the windows framing the front door as the two men climbed into Darcy's car and headed back towards London.

"That man is in love with you Lizzie," the unexpected voice made Lizzie jump. And she looked up into the darkened living room to her left. She hadn't noticed them before, but realized they must have been there the whole time as she stepped into the room. He mother sat on the sofa, her eyes puffy and her voice croaky, with her youngest sister laid out beside her, her body curled up tight and her head resting on her mother's lap. Lydia was asleep, but her tear stained face looked restless and Lizzie knew her baby sister had probably cried herself to exhaustion.

Her mother, usually so invigorated, so bubbly and enthusiastic, and always talking, looked a ghost of herself. And those words, that one sentence she'd spoken to Elizabeth, meant more than Lizzie could even begin to explain. And for the first time in her life, instead of arguing with her, or trying to discourage what, when all this was over, was sure to be blown out of proportion, Lizzie nodded.

"I know he is…" she said, with a watery smile, "Believe me, I know," and she crossed the room, kissing the top of her mother's head, then Lydia's, she retreated up the stairs to her room.


	37. Chapter 36

**Sorry for the delay. I had major troubles getting this chapter onto the page. Let me know what you think, because I'm still unsure about it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 36<strong>

A week. It had been a week since Darcy had left with her father… or rather, her father had left with Darcy. And barring the one phone call her dad had made to say they'd arrived in London, they had heard nothing, and it was driving Lizzie insane. Not to mention it was ticking her off, that all her calls and messages were going unanswered, from both her father and her boyfriend. The only saving grace from town was that Detective Ryan called daily, never with any good news, but through her, Lizzie knew that the two most important men in her life, were actually still alive.

Although, that might not be the case when they eventually showed up.

Things at the house were unsettled. On Monday, the day after the kidnapping, the household had been woken early by a knocking at the door. Lizzie had stumbled down the stairs to find a police officer on the doorstep. Since then, the family had never been alone, as someone from the local authorities was always in the house.

They worked on a rotation by instruction of the detective's in London. Lizzie understood why they had to be there, not just to keep an eye on them, but because Wickham had said he'd call again… but he never had.

As for the family, nobody knew what to make of things. Jane had taken to mothering everyone, and was relishing in having Georgiana in the house to take care of. Georgie was almost able to do everything for herself now, but for Jane's sake, was playing the patient. And Charlie, well, Charlie was dutifully attempting to balance his support for Jane, while upholding business for Will. Meaning, he was commuting the distance from the Stanstead Abbots, to London, twice a day.

Lydia was strangely quiet, spending most of the time locked in her room and Mrs Bennett had taken to two things. If she wasn't sitting in the armchair by the living room window, then she was in the kitchen baking. The girls had no choice but to eat cakes, brownies and muffins at every meal before they were buried in it.

Lizzie had taken to sneaking raw vegetables from the fridge just to get some sustenance. Two days ago, Jane had suggested packing some of the baked goods up and giving them to the neighbours, but almost as soon as they had emptied the kitchen of cake, their mother had filled it again. All four of the sisters had been making frequent trips to the grocery store to replenish supplies, but only when accompanied by a police officer, of course.

Mary had come home the day following Kitty's kidnapping, and had confided in Lizzie that their father had shown up at her West End apartment and pleaded with her to go home. The only reason she'd agreed was that their father never asked anything of her. So when she wasn't up in her room writing, Mary had taken to setting herself up at the dining room table and reading the tarot cards.

Mary was the sister that Lizzie knew least about, they weren't as close as she was to the others, despite their being the closest in age. Their parents hadn't wasted any time after having Lizzie, and Mary was only ten and a half months younger than her. They may not have been close, but right now, being around Mary was calming for Lizzie. So while Mary dabbled in her new age hobby, Lizzie had taken to sitting with her at the dining table. Usually in silence, only occasionally sharing a few sentences of conversation.

It was early on Sunday afternoon, and while Lizzie and Mary were sat at the dining table again, Mrs Bennett and Lydia were upstairs in their rooms and Charlie, Jane and Georgiana were out in the garden, Jane and Charlie were tending to the vegetable patch while Georgie kept them company from a chair on the lawn, hidden under a large sunhat.

"It's funny," Mary said, breaking Lizzie away from where she was watching them through the window "You'd think it would be Lydia who's be the one to get into a situation like this…"

Lizzie laughed at that.

"I don't think it's fair to say Kitty got herself into this," Lizzie replied, picking at a thread on her jeans.

"No, I suppose you're right. Being kidnapped is hardly a dream one would harbour,"

"I can't imagine it is…" Lizzie agreed, "But you aren't wrong about the Lydia thing. In fact, George Wickham is exactly the type of person who Lydia would be attracted to."

"Really? Then why were you dating him?" Mary teased, and Lizzie smiled, she appreciated that Mary could make her smile at a time like this.

"Mmm, very funny. All I can say, is it's probably a good thing that they never met. She'd probably have run off with him or something,"

"God save us all," Mary smirked, laying out her tarot cards again, just as the landline phone started to ring.

* * *

><p>Back in London, things were not going as smoothly for Darcy on his hunt for George Wickham as he had hoped. Will had thought this would be easy, he was certain that he knew Wickham well enough, that he'd have found him straight away, and this would already be over. That he'd be back with Lizzie, and they could work past the problems this… interruption had caused them. But George was still nowhere to be seen, and Will was becoming frustrated with the dead ends he kept facing.<p>

Part of that was to do with George's experience in avoiding unwanted attention. Another part had to do with Lizzie's father, who had picked up on Darcy's scheme almost immediately, and soon insisted he be included. Darcy didn't blame him for wanting to be involved. In fact, he was glad Mr Bennett wanted to be a part of it. It showed his dedication to his children, like any man should be. But it was difficult for Will to balance everything, and not appear like a crazy person, when he was working with the patriarch of the family he very much hoped to be apart of one day.

It was on the third day of his search, after another day yielding no results, for Darcy, and a frustrating conversation with the police, for Tom Bennet, that Mr Bennett decided he'd had enough of waiting. He knew the young William Darcy was up to something, and now he wanted to know what.

So when Will came home that Thursday night, and went straight to the fridge for a cold beer, Mr Bennett wasted no time in confronting the younger man.

"Mr Darcy," he said, from his seat at the kitchen table, Will hadn't even noticed him sitting in the dark as he'd come in.

"Mr Bennett!" he exclaimed, "I didn't know you were there,"

"Please, son, you might as well call me Tom. It's become rather clear to me that you and my Lizzie have… overcome your differences,"

"Tom…" Darcy spoke, trying it out, "You really don't have to call me Mr Darcy either," he said, getting a second bottle out of the fridge and brining it over to the table. He handed it to Tom and sat across from him.

"Good, because to be honest, that was getting a little weird," Tom chuckled.

The two men sat in silence for a minute, but Will knew that Tom had something to say, so he waited.

"Now William, I know that something is going on. I don't know exactly what it is, or what you're doing, but I know it's something, and whatever it is, I want to help,"

"Tom, I…"

"Just wait, please," Tom interrupted, voice raised, Darcy quieted "My daughter is missing," he started again, this time, almost inaudibly, "She's missing and nobody seems to know anything, and I feel helpless. I'm stuck here in this house, which is not my own, the rest of my family are together but suffering, and I can't do anything to help my daughter.

"I know I haven't always been the best father to my girls, I'm not hiding that, but now, Kitty is gone, taken by a man a don't know and don't trust and she's at his mercy. Lizzie's told me this man is dangerous, and that you used to know him… that leads me to suspect that when you leave this house each day, you're out there trying to help Katherine, and I would like for you to include me in whatever it is you're attempting,"

"Tom… it's not that I don't want to include you. But what Lizzie said is true, Wickham is dangerous, but I know his tricks. He's pulled them on me enough times that I'm familiar with them. But he's good at hiding his tracks too. I don't want to put you in a position that might get you hurt… this isn't exactly, within the law."

"Then," Tom said, after a pause, "If he's so dangerous, you shouldn't be doing this on your own. There is safety in numbers after all… I assume you want to come home to my Lizzie safely,"

Darcy was nodding emphatically,

"Then let us work together, please son, I can't keep doing nothing,"

"Alright, but unfortunately, at this point, I haven't had much luck,"

The main problem they faced, once the pair had come to an agreement, was locating Wickham's new hiding place. Darcy started by explaining his endeavours so far.

"I've been tracking down his old friends, people he used to rely on in the past, but most of the ones I've tracked down aren't in contact with him any more. He's burned a lot of bridges. I've visited some of his colleagues, but it seems for the most part, he has been playing a role within his regiment, most of them don't know him well at all. The one man I thought might know something, refused to speak to me. That's where I was today, trying to convince him to share what he knows, but he's stubborn. There's one person who I am certain will know where he is… Mrs Veronica Young. But he's obviously warned her, because she's gone underground too… but if we can find her, I think I can convince her to lead us to him…"

"Alright, then that's what we'll do. Tomorrow?"

"Yes, but Tom…" Darcy said, stopping the man as he tried to leave the room, "If we… when we find him, we have to let the police take him out. He's gotten away with too many bad deeds in the past, I don't want to risk him getting out of this too,"

"Agreed," Tom said, then left the kitchen. It was a few seconds later that he came back to the doorway. Darcy was still at the table.

"You know," Tom said, "I can see why Lizzie likes you, William. You're a good man," he didn't give Will time to respond, but headed upstairs to get some rest.

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><p>As it turned out, the advantage of having a second man with him, actually helped Will. He'd thought he needed to act alone, to keep others safe, it had never occurred to him, that Tom Bennett would be intimidating. But he had been, at least, intimidating enough that very late the following day, Friday, but really it was almost Saturday by the time their<em> friend<em> started talking. An old acquaintance of George's, who because of George's betrayal now made his living selling stolen car parts, knew where Veronica Young was hiding out, and, for a fee, which Darcy was quick to pay, happily revealed her whereabouts. They were one step closer to finding Kitty now, because Veronica Young was the one person in the world who George confided in, couldn't lie to and loved unconditionally. She was his sister, and the only person in the world who George trusted.

Their informant told them that Veronica was hiding out in Bristol, at the home of a man name Lyle Watson, an ex boyfriend, who was the manager of a Tesco… Darcy was glad Veronica had chosen to hide out with one of her few, safe, acquaintances. First thing on Saturday morning, after a few hours of restless sleep and several cups of hot coffee Tom and Darcy climbed into Will's car and headed towards Bristol.

Darcy had found Lyle Watson's address online, and after punching it into the GPS, it was an easy trip. Two and a half hours later, Will pulled up in front of the beige bricked block of flats. It was mid morning on a Saturday, but there were only a few people around. There were two children playing in the parking lot, as their father sat on the stoop smoking a cigarette, down the street a woman walked a small white dog in the opposite direction.

Tom followed Darcy as he got out of the car and went up to the buildings glass doors. The unsecured building wasn't even locked, and the two men didn't even receive a glance from the man with the cigarette. They walked up two flights of stairs to find apartment 312. Darcy only had to knock once and the door flew open. Obviously Veronica hadn't thought anyone would find her here and thus didn't have to take any precautions, because she'd opened the door without checking through the peephole, and seeing Darcy, she blanched before trying to close the door on him. He jammed it with his foot.

"Hello Veronica," he said coldly, "I'd like to have a word with you about your brother,"

"I have nothing to say to you!" she cried, pushing harder against the door. Will didn't even flinch, as his boots were stopping most of the pressure from being on his foot.

"I think you might," he insisted, and after a minute of arguing and trying to push him out, she relented and let the men in.

"Who's he?" Veronica asked Darcy as they walked into the apartment.

"He doesn't concern you right now," he answered, making sure he was blocking the exit as she settled nervously on the lounge.

"Look, I'm not telling you where he is, so you may as well just leave now," she started, trying to sound confident.

"Veronica, I didn't drive two and a half hours out her, for you to turn me away, I don't know what George told you, but I'm almost certain it's not the whole truth,"

"He said you was hunting him! Why can't you just leave him alone?"

"I'm not hunting him Veronica, I'm trying to… rescue someone. A girl, he took her,"

"What?"

"Her name is Katherine, we call her Kitty… you asked who this man is? This is her father… Veronica, he's gone too far this time"

The pause that followed that sentence was broken by the sound of crying, from the next room.

"Just, hang on a minute," she muttered, leaving towards the back of the apartment. She came back a few minutes later, carrying a small child.

"He took your daughter?" she asked, cuddling the bundle to her chest and staring into Tom's eyes. He answered with a nod.

"We just want to bring her home," Will pleaded.

"She your girlfriend?" Veronica asked, "I know he's got issues with you that I never really understood, but are you sure he didn't just win her off you?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Will assured her, "I won't deny that Kitty was taken because of my connection to the family, they already know that, but Kitty has nothing to do with George, she doesn't even know him, please…"

"You won't hurt him?" she asked

"I won't touch him, but I won't promise he won't get into trouble,"

"He's always getting himself into trouble," she scoffed… then looked up and the two men, between them, and finally rested on Tom, who was worn out, tired and she could tell, hurting.

"Alright," She said, and while she stared down at her own daughter, she told them where they could find the missing Bennett.

* * *

><p>"Bennett residence, Lizzie speaking," she answered the phone, once the officer on duty had started recording the phone line.<p>

"Miss Bennett? This is Detective Ryan…" the woman paused, leaving Lizzie on the precipice of panic.

"We have her Miss Bennett, Katherine was recovered safely. She's coming home."

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><p><strong>Don't forget to leave a review, there's only a few chapters left, so you're running out of opportunities! =P<strong>


	38. Chapter 37

**When I wake up in the morning, the final episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will have been posted… I'm not ready for the end! =(**

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><p><strong>Chapter 37<strong>

Late on Monday night, Mr Bennett arrived home with Kitty and Detective Ryan. Darcy wasn't with them, and Lizzie's father couldn't give her a reason why, only saying that Darcy had promised to be there 'soon'. To top things off, he still wasn't answering his phone. Kitty was, luckily, relatively unharmed, at least physically. She was exhausted, dehydrated and hungry but George hadn't done any serious harm to her, which was surprising to them all, but they were glad at the miraculous turn of events.

Kitty admitted that at first, when he had realised that she was not her sister, Wickham had gone a little crazy and shoved her around a bit, and that she had some bruises. It wasn't anything to warrant a hospital visit, but it was enough to press assault charges on top of the kidnapping. Kitty was bearing the ordeal incredibly well, and she'd agreed to attend some therapy sessions to help her overcome the situation, but she was determined not to let it ruin her life. There would be a trial in a few months, but there was no doubt that Wickham was going away for a long time, at last.

It wasn't until the following evening, just after sunset that Darcy finally showed up. Lizzie was sitting on the bed in her and Jane's old room, while everyone else was downstairs. But Lizzie wanted sometime alone to cry. Even thought she felt like she'd been crying for days, now that every thing was okay again, she couldn't hold back tears of relief. The weight of the last few days had lifted, Kitty was home safe and sound, and Wickham was finally getting his comeuppance.

There was a soft tapping on the door and Lizzie lifted her head to see Will standing in the shadowy door way, a solemn smile on his face and his eyes softly seeking her.  
>"You're back," she whispered,<br>"Hey," he replied, speaking just as quietly. He crossed the room quickly and sat beside her on her old bed.  
>She looked up at him, and now that he was in the light emanating from her beside lamp, she could see his face properly.<br>"Will! What happened to you?" She cried, he had a big black eye.  
>"It's nothing, I'm fine," he assured her,<br>"It's not nothing, what happened?" She asked, smoothing his hair back so she could get a better look.  
>"Wickham wasn't happy to see me there when the police arrested him," Darcy answered, shrugging it off.<br>"How did he even get near you? You weren't supposed to do anything without the police!"  
>"I didn't!" He defended himself, "The police were there, they'd arrested him already, I was just standing nearby and he saw me as they were walking him to the van. They weren't expecting him to do anything, but he saw me and somehow managed to duck out of their grip. He charged at me. He was handcuffed, so he couldn't hit me. But I wasn't expecting it when he heard butted me."<br>Lizzie stared at him for a moment, and that's when she remembered that she was supposed to be angry at him. So she shoved him.

"What the hell?" Will exclaimed, righting his position. She started hitting him on his arms and chest, not very hard, but enough to sting a little.  
>"Why. The. Hell. Didn't. You. Call. Me?" She said punctuating each word with a slap, until he eventually managed to grab her wrists and stop her assault.<br>"It wasn't a big deal, he didn't even break my nose!" Will exclaimed, confused at why she was attacking him for not mentioning his black eye.  
>"No! Not about that you idiot! All week!" She cried, pulling her wrists out of his grasp and jumping up to pace the floor in front of the bed.<p>

"You didn't call me once since you left! I was worried sick about you and dad. I didn't know where you were or what you were doing. You were chasing down a madman! You could have been lying dead in a ditch somewhere! You should have called, or at least returned my messages!"

"Oh Lizzie, I'm so sorry! I didn't think..."  
>"That is clearly obvious! Geeze Will, we're supposed to be in a relationship now! It's not like I need to know where you are at every single moment of the day, but when you're out looking for a crazy kidnapper, you could at least let me know that you're alive!"<br>"I know, you're right, I'm sorry. I didn't think... I was just focused on helping Kitty... I..."  
>"Damnit Will," she sighed, sitting down next to him again, "Why do you have to be such a good guy?" She asked, hugging him, she was still angry but she was also relieved that he was finally back.<p>

"You drive me crazy, and make me mad," she mumbled into his shoulder, "But then you go and do something wonderful and then I feel guilty for being angry with you. You were helping my sister. You didn't have to do anything at all, but you did, and it worked and you brought her home. We're just, so grateful Will, my family, we can't thank you enough..."

"Shhh, Lizzie just stop," he shushed her, stroking her hair as her head was resting on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't feel guilty. You're allowed to be angry at me, especially when I do something stupid. You're right. I should have called. I'm not used to having someone else in my life, a partner, it might take me a while to get it right."

Then he sighed, and took her hands in his urging her to look at him.

"And as for your sister. You must know Lizzie, everything I did, I did for you. As much as I like your family..."

Lizzie scoffed at him saying that, "No seriously, I've always liked Jane, and Kitty is such a character, it's a pleasure having her around the office, and this week I got to know your father too... Anyway, the point is Lizzie. I did it all for you. Because I love you and I'd do anything to make you happy."

She stared at him for a long minute, just observing him in the semi darkness.

"About that," she croaked, biting her lip, "Before all this happened, you and I were in the middle of something…"

He nodded his agreement,

"I should probably tell you what my reply was going to be,"

"Okay…" he breathed,

"I was going to say, probably not as eloquently as you, that I love you too, Will,"

The smile that beamed on his face at her words warmed her heart and she smiled back.

"Even when you are being an idiot," she added, and he swept in to kiss her.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that," he murmured against her lips as he pulled away. She stared into his warm brown eyes and chuckled.

"To think, if we hadn't both been so stubborn, we might have had a very different relationship these past three years," she whispered,

"Better late than never," he replied, and kissed her again, guiding her down onto the mattress. After being parted for a week, all Darcy wanted to do, was be close to her.

* * *

><p>The next day, after the family had sat down to breakfast together, everyone realised it was time to get back to their lives. Now that Wickham was in custody, the threat to their family was gone, and it was time to get back to reality. Will and Charlie had to get back to work, before their neglect of the place became a real problem. Jane had to get back to her students as well, before her relief teacher ran out of lesson plans, and Mary just wanted to go home. Georgiana had to go to the last of her doctor's appointments, and Lizzie had to take her. So it was, that after breakfast, everyone went back to their rooms to pack their things to go home. Kitty was going to stay at home with their parents for the rest of the week, but wanted to return to London, and get back to work and school after brunch on Sunday.<p>

Will dropped Lizzie off at her and Jane's apartment a little after lunch time that afternoon, after they'd had a heated discussion about it of course. Lizzie wanted to be with Jane so that she wasn't alone in their apartment, Will of course, didn't want Lizzie to leave his townhouse, and realising that Georgiana could no longer be used as an excuse, and not able to get up the nerves to just _ask _her to move in with him, relented to taking her 'home'.

So, when they pulled up to the curb behind Charlie's BMW, Will handed Lizzie her bags from the trunk and kissed her goodbye, leaving her and Jane to return home together. What the girls didn't realise until they had entered the apartment, put down their bags and locked the door behind them, was that neither of them felt like they were at home anymore.

"I don't think I want to live here any more Lizzie," Jane said, so quietly she could just make out the words. Lizzie was silent for a moment, as she made her way across the room, trailing her fingers along the back of their second hand couch. She stood in the doorway to her bedroom, the scene of the crime, and took a deep breath.

"I don't think I want to live here anymore either," she said, taking in the room. It had been so long since she'd actually stayed here, that everything seemed different. A lot of her belongings were still at Will's, and the things she used most often, still packed in her duffle bag in the living room. What she had left behind had been pushed to the back of shelves and dressers to make room for Kitty's things. Then, there was the cardboard duct taped to the broken window reminding her that Wickham had been here, breathed this air and touched her things… and taken her sister.

"Charlie asked me to move in with him," Jane said, interrupting her thoughts.

"That's great Jane,"

"I haven't answered him yet," she admitted, "I mean, I know I'll be living with him after the wedding anyway, but I didn't want to leave you here on your own yet…"

She trailed off, and Lizzie didn't speak, her own thoughts dwelling on the Darcy townhouse, and how she'd rather be there right now than in her crime scene bedroom.

"You want to live with Will, don't you?" Jane asked, always so perceptive of her sister's thoughts.

"He hasn't asked me to live with him," was her response.

"He will," Jane replied, "He'd ask you in a heartbeat if her thought you were open to the idea, if he thought you wanted it,"

Lizzie smiled to herself, knowing that Jane was probably right. So what if they'd only been an official couple for two weeks? They'd pretty much been living together for the past two months, and sleeping together. Not to mention all the time they'd spent working together… even if they had hated each other… sort of.

"Say yes to Charlie," Lizzie said, stepping back into the hall and closing her bedroom door.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked

"Yep, positive," Lizzie replied, walking back towards the living room and picking up the phone on the bench between the couch and the kitchen, "The timing couldn't be better, Jane, I can't spend one more night in that room after what happened, and frankly, I don't want to. I love Will. I want to be with him, and I like living with him. Our lease is up at the end of the month anyway, and with you and Charles getting married, there's not point in prolonging the inevitable. I'm calling the realtor and giving her our notice, then I'm dropping you off and Charlie's,"

Jane stared at her for a moment, her mouth hanging open a little. Lizzie had always been a very determined person, and Jane had always known her little sister to go after the things she wanted with no abandon… in every aspect except her personal life. She had to smile when she realised the transformation Will had inspired in her sister. She just hoped Lizzie had the guts to follow through. Lizzie hung up the phone and Jane was still standing in the same place.

"And what are _you_ going to do, Lizzie?" Jane asked, eyebrow arched, Lizzie grinned.

"I'm going to let Will know that I'm _open to the idea,"_ she answered, then grabbed her duffle bag and lead her sister out of their apartment, neither of the sister's intending to stay there again.

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><p><strong>Please review, I'll be checking my email as soon as I've finished watching Episode 100 and I'm sure I'll need the happy feelings that your reviews always induce. =)<strong>


	39. Chapter 38

**Hello everybody, how are we all? Well, I'm sad to announce that this will be the last regular chapter of Masquerade. There is an epilogue to follow in the next few days, and then this story will be marked as complete. As I don't want to fill the epilogue with authors notes, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you now. **

**This will be the first time I successfully complete a multi-chapter fic, and I put it down to you readers for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you for taking this journey with me, your follows and reviews have meant so much. **

**I'd also like to let you know, that I am currently working on a few other stories, and do intend to post them, however I have no time frame for when this might happen, but wanted to let you know, they do exist. Also, depending on RL, I do intent to go back over Masquerade and edit it. Nothing should be affected story wise, but I know that there are some flaws in this story in terms of formatting and grammar, and I want to correct these.**

**Lastly, for some time I have been pondering over some Wickham POV outtakes for this story, and without making any promises, wanted to gauge your interest to see if it was worthwhile putting the time towards. **

**Now, without further ado…**

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><p><strong>Chapter 38<strong>

Lizzie was sitting in her office. It was her first day, officially, back at work since Georgiana's accident two months ago, it had been three weeks since the kidnapping, two weeks since Kitty had been safely returned home, nine days since she and Jane had moved out of their crime scene apartment, and moved in with their respective partners, and a week since Kitty had returned to the city to live with Jane and Charlie. But it was also a week since Darcy had left town and gone to Derbyshire for work, and Lizzie was missing him, especially since it was so soon after they'd moved in together.

It had quickly come to her realisation that the travelling was going to be a consistent part of their relationship. That Will was often going to have to leave London to visit the other offices around the world. Thankfully, their first test of separation was only Derbyshire. But soon enough, Lizzie knew he'd have to get to New York and Sydney. She wasn't really surprised, after all, she'd worked at Darcy enterprises long enough to know Will travelled frequently. She would just have to adapt to their new arrangement.

What was surprising her today though, was not how much she missed her boyfriend, it was not how well Kate had managed to hold the fort in her long absence, it was not even Kitty's enthusiastic return to the reception desk… no, what was surprising her today, was the unexpected visit she received just after lunch.

She was on the phone with one of the guys in accounting, when unannounced, and without knocking, her office door flew open and in stormed none other than, Catherine De Bough, Darcy's aunt, who neither of them had seen since the benefit, even with Georgiana's accident.

"Paul, I'm going to have to call you back," Lizzie said as the older woman loomed over her desk. Without waiting for his response, she placed the phone back in its cradle and stood up, levelling herself with the woman who was playing for the power position.

"Ms De Bough, what a surprise to see you," Lizzie started, "I'm afraid Darcy isn't in the office today, you ought to have phoned,"

"I am not here to see my nephew _Miss Bennett_!" she interrupted, loudly "I am here to speak with you," glancing over her companions shoulder, she saw that they were gathering attention through the office door from the main room and mercifully, Kate caught her eye and quietly came over to close the door. Not that it stopped anyone from peering in through the glass panels on the walls.

"Very well, what can I do for you _Ms De Bough_?" Lizzie asked, ignoring the curious onlookers.

"You can quit this nonsense I've heard about your relationship with my nephew for starters," she said, jumping straight to the point. Lizzie was shocked,

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Miss Bennett, I've known for some time the designs you have on my nephew and his empire," she accused, literally pointing a finger at her, "You've been nothing but a nuisance to this company since the day you started, and now a report of a most alarming nature has reached me! I've been informed that you and my nephew intend to marry, and I will not stand for it! How could you possibly think yourself, a _working _woman to be worthy of a Darcy?"

Lizzie wanted to argue with her, but she was simply too shocked to form the words, too shocked to construct her argument.

"My nephew needs to marry a woman who can make him look good, not some independent, middle class, ladder climbing career woman!"

"That's enough!" Lizzie finally found the words, "Ms Be Dough, it is absolutely none of your business how I make my living, and in case you haven't noticed, this is the twenty first century, and I am more than entitled to work anywhere I want to, in any position I choose and for whoever I like! It is not a ploy to land a husband, nor do I intent to climb ladders in my career through anything other than my own merits and work ethic. I got this job before I knew your nephew, for those very reasons and I intent to keep it that way. My relationship with Will is none of your business, and I will go about it in the way that I see fit, and not because of anything you, or anybody else, will say!"

"Tell me this!" The lady gasped, abhorred by Lizzie's lecturing her, "Are you engaged to my nephew?"

Lizzie halted, as much as she wanted to rub it in this woman's face and make her suffer, she couldn't pretend otherwise.

"No, I am not," she answered truthfully, and the smug look of happiness on the lady's face was almost disturbing.

"And will you promise that you will never enter into an engagement with him?" she continued. It was at this precise moment that Lizzie saw, from the corner of her eye, that her office door was once again open and none other than William Darcy himself stood in the threshold, on the verge of interrupting, until the last question had been spoken and silenced him, as he too wanted to hear Lizzie's answer.

Lady Catherine hadn't noticed that she and Elizabeth were no longer alone, even though Lizzie was no longer making eye contact, perhaps she thought Lizzie incapable of looking at her from the shame, so she didn't realise just what she'd done by asking that question, as Lizzie answered her, her eyes staring into Will's.

"I will make no such promise," she began, "because if the day comes and William asks me to marry him, nothing will make me happier than accepting him,"

His face broke out into a smile, and Lizzie, while turning her steely gaze back at Catherine, felt like she was floating inside.

"Why, you insolent little…"

"That's quite enough Aunt Catherine," Will finally spoke, surprising the woman, who almost jumped out of her skin.

"William!" his aunt said, turning her back on Elizabeth, "I'm glad you're here, I need to have a word with you about _some_ of the people you employ around here,"

"Oh, you can certainly believe that we will be having words," he said, standing aside and gesturing her out of the door. His aunt strode past him and off towards his own office, while Will lingered in the doorway a moment to share a smile with Lizzie before following her.

Lizzie sank back into her office chair and had to take a few moments to collect her self before she could focus her thoughts. The entire encounter had probably been less than five minutes, but Lizzie felt like she'd been on a roller coaster ride in that time. Once she was better composed she managed to stand again and cross the room to grab a bottle of water from her snack drawer in the corner. It was just as she had taken a sip and could feel herself coming back to the ground that her office door opened again. Some body came in and closed the door behind them, and Lizzie was relieved to see, when she turned around, that it was Will.

"Hi," she said, still a little shaken, but glad to see him.

"Hey," he replied, leaning up against her desk.

"I'm glad you're back, you have impeccable timing," she joked and he let a small smile slip across his serious looking face.

"Tell me about it,"

"How much, exactly, did you hear of that?"

"Oh, somewhere from around the point of _'My relationship with Will is none of your business,' _which I can't help but agree with,"

"I'm sorry if this had caused a problem with you and your aunt," she said, at which he chuckled, and reached out to draw her closer to him. He softly ran his hand down the side of her face, and she turned to kiss it as he brushed the edge of her lips.

"Lizzie, my aunt has always been somewhat… overbearing, and something will always be a problem for her. In fact, you're one of the few people I've ever known to stand up to her, even before. She had no right sticking her nose into your life… or mine, despite what she believes, so let me set the record straight. Even though she is my family, her opinions have no influence over me, especially pertaining to you Lizzie. You are smart, more than competent at your job, and in general just a wonderful and giving person and I love you, Catherine's strange worldview isn't going to change any of that. No matter what happens between us…"

Lizzie smiled at him,

"What about… you know…?" she couldn't finish her sentence, nervous to bring it up.

"Ah… yes, the marriage thing"

"Yes, the marriage thing," she blushed,

"Did you mean it, do you really want to marry me?" He asked, staring into her eyes like he had before, she could only nod her response,

"One day," she answered with a little nervous shrug.

"Then that's all I need to know," he answered, giving her a light kiss on the lips. It was breaking their former agreement about keeping their personal life out of the office, but after Catherine's interference, that idea was pretty much shot to the wind, at least for today.

"Back to work then?" He asked, after they'd spent a few moments in each others silence.

"Right away Mr Darcy," she said, pulling out of his embrace and rounding the desk.

"Excellent, I'll see you at home tonight then," he went to the door and went to open it before pausing.

"I love you, Lizzie," he said, door handle half twisted.

"I love you too, Will" she smiled, phone half way to her ear. Then, with a smile, he left her office and went back to his own.


	40. Epilouge

**Epilogue**

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><p>"Lizzie?"<p>

A knock on her office door brought her attention away from the list in her hand.

"What's up Charlie?" she asked as her boss, and brother in law, stepped inside.

"Just wanted to make sure everything is ready for tonight," he replied.

"It's all in order Charlie" she smirked,

"Great, well, I'm heading out now to pick up Darcy," Lizzie groaned, and Charlie gave her a sympathetic smile and her head came to rest on the desk

"I feel awful," she cried.

"Aw, Liz, it's not your fault, don't worry about it," Charlie consoled her with a grin.

"Just, make sure you apologise for me okay?"

"I will, see you tonight Lizzie," he smiled jovially and left her office, heading towards the elevator bank.

Will was coming back from New York today, he'd had to fly out unexpectedly two weeks ago, leaving the final preparation for this years, Casino Royale themed benefit, all in Lizzie's hands. At first they had all laughed about how reminiscent this was all turning out to be of last year's benefit, when Will had been in Derbyshire, but in this case, he wasn't back a day early to double check her work. Although, he'd since admitted that all of that had really only been a ploy to get some alone time with her, and he really did believe she was capable of planning the benefit alone. He'd also had to remind her of that several times on the phone since he'd left for New York.

So, today, with only four hours until the benefit was due to start, Will's flight was delayed. His new arrival time, was right when she was due to meet the caterers, serving staff and valet's at Netherfeild. So it wasn't until half past six, with the guests due to arrive at seven that Will walked through the door to their room at Netherfield.

"You look beautiful Lizzie," he said, taking in her 'costume' of a deep purple cocktail dress, topped with sparkly diamond jewellery.

"Will, you're here!" Lizzie said, jumping up from the vanity. Will pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"I missed you," he whispered,

"Same here," she whispered back, breathing in the sent of him, nuzzling him, she pulled back.

"You smell like airplane," she crinkled her nose, "You'd better hurry and get ready, take a shower" she leaned down and pulled on her strappy, heeled silver shoes "I'll see you downstairs, your tux is hanging in the bathroom already,"

"Thank you," he said, giving her another kiss, "I don't know what I would do without you,"

She stroked his cheek,

"You'd manage," she answered truthfully,

"But I wouldn't want to," he said, equally as seriously.

"Then it's a good thing you've got me, now get ready, people are going to start rocking up in like, twenty minutes!"

He stole one last kiss, then went into the bathroom, to quickly shower and get ready. While she quickly reapplied her lip gloss, since he'd smudged her first coat, and rushed downstairs to make sure everything was ready.

* * *

><p>Unlike last years benefit, Lizzie didn't have to spend all of her time trying to track Will down. Instead, at precisely seven, just as the doors were opening to admit the first guests, he came down the main staircase, looking beyond handsome in his tuxedo, freshly showered, shaved and smelling like Will again. He slipped into his place beside Lizzie, linking his arm through hers and they greeted their guests together.<p>

During the mingling hour before dinner, he left her side only to collect their drinks, and then led her around the room, hand in hand, chatting to their clients and donors, welcoming new faces that hadn't attended the event before, and catching up with those who had become old friends. This year, Will had decided to mix up the schedule, and dinner was to be served before the welcome speech. Lizzie didn't know why, but Will had a very specific reason for doing so.

During dinner, they were seated next to each other at the main table for all three courses. Miraculously, neither of them was interrupted.

"I'm shocked," Lizzie said as they were enjoying their desserts,

"Why's that, dear?" Will asked, holding her hand under the table.

"Well, hopefully without jinxing anything, that there haven't been any emergencies for me to solve this year! Last year with the exploding pipes… you know, I don't think I've ever managed to catch your speech at a single one of these things,"

"Then you've been missing out," he teased,

"You'll have to prove that to me, looks like I'm finally going to hear one this year,"

He didn't answer her, but just smiled and kissed her on the cheek. In truth, Will knew Lizzie was usually run ragged at this event, but this year, he wanted her to enjoy it, so Charles, Richard and Charlotte had been given strict instructions not to bother her with _anything. _

As the dessert plates were cleared, Lizzie excused herself.

"I'm going to go and make sure the tables a ready in _the casino,_" she said,

"Alright," he said, checking his watch, "Don't be long,"

"I'll be right back," she promised, disappearing into the crowd of people who were leaving their seats and beginning to mill around again.

Darcy pulled Charlie aside and gave him a two minute warning for his speech, then went to hang out behind the stage and prepare himself.

Lizzie was surprised to see that their makeshift casino was set up and ready to go, the dealers were already at their stations getting ready to entertain their guests with blackjack, roulette, craps and poker, with all proceeds of the bets going directly to Darcy Enterprises charities. Seeing that she wasn't needed there, she quickly ducked into the loo to freshen up before heading back to the ballroom. She arrived just at Charlie was introducing Will for his speech.

"Good evening," Will started as he stepped up to the microphone, "Thank you all for coming tonight. As those of you who have attended before will know, Darcy Enterprises has a strong focus on charity work, and trying to make the world a better place for those in need, from third world countries, to hospital research funds to children's work. Our charitable interests are wide and this annual event, and the contributions of the wonderful people, who attend, make up the largest percentage of our donations per annum, even after we pay for all of the booze," the crowd chuckled at his joke, and he continued "This year, is even more special,"

This had Lizzie's attention, because while every fundraiser was special and unique, she wouldn't say there was anything more special this year, than there was usually.

"As usual, I have to thank the wonderful people who help to make this event what it is, year after year, everyone from the servers who keep us liquored up, the caterers who fatten us up and the valet's who, we hope very carefully, park our cars. But beyond that, the support of my own staff and a few key people are who make this night possible, Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam, my seconds in command, who are always there to share the load, and Charlotte Lucas, for keeping the home offices in perfect running condition. But the reason we are all here, enjoying ourselves every year, and for the past four years, with spectacular theme nights, all comes down to out Head of Donor Development, Elizabeth Bennett."

He paused and scanned the audience that had gathered in front of the stage, he spotted Lizzie standing right in the middle of it all and smiled at her, everyone started to follow his line of sight until half of the room was watching her too.

"Lizzie has been with us for the past four and a half years, and as some of you know, or might have guessed, or predicted would happen some day, I'm lucky enough to call her my girlfriend. Don't look at me like that Lizzie, everyone's already figured it out. I said this night was special, this is why,"

He paused and took a breath.

"Lizzie, it hasn't always been smooth sailing between us, but I've always said the best things in life, you have to fight for. And god knows we've done our fair share of fighting, but it's all been worth it, to get us here, and take us further. My lovely, beautiful, clever, kind Lizzie, I love you, I never want to be parted from you, so Lizzie," he reached into his inside pocket and withdrew a small box, holding it up beside him, "Will you marry me?"

The whole room was silent, and every single person in it was staring at her, waiting for her response. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words that came out were so quiet, no body could discern them.

"Sweetheart, you're going to have to speak up, I can't hear you," he teased, making her laugh.

"Yes!" She cried out, loud enough that everyone heard, the silence was broken by a squeal that the could recognised as Georgiana, followed by a wolf whistle from the same vicinity of the room, Lizzie assumed it was Richard. Then everyone was clapping and smiling.

"Would you come up here please?" Will asked over the microphone, and the crowd parted, so that a very flushed Lizzie could make it to her fiancée. When she was stage front, Charlie helped her climb up onto the raised stage and Will pulled her up.

"Hey," he said, brushing her hair back out of her blushed face.

"Hi," she breathed, eying the crowd that seemed to be following her. He held the little ring box in between them and popped it open, shielding it from the crowd. He wanted her to be the first one to see it. She broke into a smile and had to cover her mouth, biting down on a finger to stop squealing as he kneeled before her.

"You've already asked me," she said, words muffled through her hand,

"Lizzie, you know better than anyone that I'm a traditionalist, humour me. I promise this part is simple," she laughed,

"Alright, get on with it please, everyone is staring," she pleaded, making him chuckle.

"Lizzie Bennett, I love you, please do me the honour of accepting my hand,"

"Nothing would make me happier," she smiled, using the same words she'd spoken to Catherine all those months ago. He stood up, slipping the ring onto her left hand and kissed her.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Someone yelled from the back of the room, pulling them apart, they laughed and Will leaned back over the microphone.

"Thank you for coming, I hope you all have a wonderful night," he said, then dragged Lizzie off the stage. That night when they went to bed, in that same master suite, Lizzie knew exactly who she was with.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>


End file.
